Heroes Grace
by Artemis173
Summary: "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere." Hearthome is the city where dreams come true, and its Performing Arts Academy is one of the finest in the world. Dawn is the schools reigning pop princess, but what happens when a new transfer student introduces her to music that touches her in a way she didn't think possible? Ikari, Contest, Oldrival, Poké.
1. Waiting

**A/N: Hello reader! This is one of three of my first fan-fictions to be posted on this site. I know it may be kind of weird to focus on a high school AU when Pokemon is all about adventure and self discovery, but this is my first time putting one of my story idea's down on paper (figuratively speaking). I thought that out of all my ideas, this one seemed like one of the easiest to start with. I would very much appreciate reviews that offer constructive criticism, as I am always looking to improve, but please don't leave anything hateful or negative. Everyone should be allowed to get their idea's out there, and if this story isn't to your liking, then go read something else.**

**I am going to offer a warning though, as this is a band fic, I will be including song lyrics, as I personally like to listen to music while I read. Some of the songs I used will be covers, such as by individual cover artists, or by glee. Now I know not everyone likes Glee, and trust me, I don't blame you, it gets old fast. However I still watch it because the way they cover songs offers a different composition to the songs, that makes more sense in this story than the originals do. However, I will be including the original artist, and recommending in each chapter whether the original or cover fits better with the imagining of the story, so if you're really adamant about not listening to Glee, you do have the option of using your imagination to make the original song work better.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, the characters you read about, or the song lyrics used. Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Gamefreak, and the songs belong to their respective artists.**

**Now without further ado, onto the story!**

Chapter 1: Waiting

**Paul**

_Too bright_, was my first conscious thought. My second thought was, _Too damn hot_.

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes a crack, only to be instantly blinded by that garish ball of light in the sky. My bedroom just happened to be facing the exact direction of the rising sun. After my eyes adjusted, I noticed that my curtains, which I had purposely closed the night before were now inexplicably wide open.

"God I hate my brother sometimes," I mumbled to myself.

He was the only likely culprit for my un-welcomed morning. I threw off my sheets immediately. It was far too hot in my room on the second floor of the house. All the hot air rises up in the summer and turns it into a walk-in oven. I turned my head and glared at my alarm clock.

"8 freakin' A.M," again, speaking to myself._ Getting up this early during summer should be a crime, even if it's almost over. _

I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed, instantly feeling the hardwood floor against my heels. I stood up begrudgingly, and walked over to my dresser, pulling out a plain black t-shirt and slipping it on. Despite being ridiculously hot upstairs, we did have air-conditioning, although it really only worked on the first floor. Upstairs was too hot. Downstairs was too cold, making a simple pair of black track pants not very appropriate for the journey down the stairs.

I reached for the small case on my dresser and used the product inside, immediately seeing better once I did so. I swung open the door to my medium sized room and left it open, hoping a little bit of air could get in, and proceeded downstairs, where my favorite part of the day was just about to start.

Yelling at my arrogant, annoying, self-riotous brother Reggie.

With each step I took, the hardwood of the stairs got colder and colder, until I was basically standing on ice. But I didn't mind, being upstairs in the dying heat made the cool temperature of the first floor welcoming. Little did I know that my morning was about to get much worse than the sun waking me up.

As I walked through the living room towards the kitchen, a sound was getting louder and louder. And the closer I got, the more obnoxious it became. Whatever it was, I literally had to cover my ears to drown out the upbeat, sugar coated lyrics no doubt coming from my older brother's laptop. _He must have a death wish this morning,_ I thought, as I stepped into the kitchen.

And there he was. Sitting on one of the bar stools situated at the island in the middle of our kitchen eating breakfast, staring at his laptop like he wasn't doing anything wrong. He had on his usual pink shirt and khaki's, and his dark purple hair was pulled back as it usually was. Anyone else would think he was innocent looking, but I knew better. I've seen that smug smirk on his lips far too many times to foresee this morning as anything less than an attempt to get on my nerves. A very good attempt.

"Turn that crap off!" was my first response that morning, hands still firmly clamped to the side of my head.

"And good morning to you too princess. How am I you ask? Oh fine, thanks for asking my dear little brother. Did you sleep well?" he sarcastically replied.

"I'm serious, whatever you're listening to, turn it off. It's making me sick." I could just barely hear the lyrics_. "Tick Tock, on the clock_,"_ Oh god, what __**is**__ this?_

Thankfully, my brother was merciful and hit pause.

"Ya know, despite your hatred of pop music, other people actually like to listen to this stuff." Reggie said, finally turning to look at me.

"Yeah, well they're wrong. Wrong or brain-dead. Or both." I replied monotonly as I made my way to the cupboard behind him.

"You don't even know who the artist is." Reggie argued, watching me as I fixed myself breakfast.

"I don't have to. The instrumental is mixed beyond recognition, the lyrics are shallow and meaningless, and I bet that girl singing it has never picked up a musical instrument in her entire life."

"Why do I even bother? Getting into these arguments with the music critic from hell is like trying to calm down a raging Tauros," he replied, turning back towards the computer screen.

"I don't know. False hope that maybe you're going to win an argument with me?" I replied smugly. Successfully finding a bowl and cereal, I walked to the fridge for milk.

"For your information, the girl singing this won a competition last year. It's for some prestigious performing arts school over in Hearthome. _They_ obviously think that its good music." Reggie retorted. Will this conversation never end?

"There are also people who think that ghosts are real and the moon landing was faked. People have opinions, they just happen to be pathetic ones." I said, hopefully ending this conversation. I closed the fridge door and sat down on another bar stool on Reggie's right side.

"You're so stubborn," Reggie sighed. _Like this was news to him?_ I thought as I ate my cereal. Truthfully, stubbornness was a trait we both shared, obvious from the fact we argue almost every day. It wasn't violently so, just the way siblings do. Then eventually, one of us would let it go. We were stubborn but we didn't hold grudges against each other. After all it was only us in this house.

As I went through the motions of eating, I got lost in thought. I did that a lot. Guess I've just always been more of a thinker and a listener. Actually, talking to my brother was usually the most I would say all day. I'm pretty much the definition of a loner. Veilstone city wasn't exactly the safest place to live, in spite of how big it was. Sure there were nice parts of the city, but we just so_ luckily_ happened to live in one of the sketchier neighborhoods. Don't get me wrong, there were way worse, ours just wasn't what you'd call "friendly".

I didn't mind being alone though. In fact I preferred it. Everything that made me "me", all the past pains I had to go through, I did not want to share with other people. Plus, there weren't a whole lot of people in this city who I'd want to be friends with. They were all either too good or too bad. I fell somewhere in the middle, which was pretty rare apparently. It just seemed like everyone in this city was either one or the other.

My life here was just fine though. I spent most of my time either alone or with Reggie, and I was content with that. Besides, it wasn't like I would do nothing when I was alone. I was a musician. I spent almost all my time playing music, writing music, even recording it a little. But my tastes were very, well, complicated.

It's not the genre that I judge it on; it's more about the message. Music is all about feeling, communicating things that are just too hard to say. When a sleazy pop artist try's to sell their track, and it's all about getting drunk, or high, or having meaningless sex, the end result doesn't sound like music, it's just noise. Pathetic, empty noise. That's what I really hate, and Reggie knows that, he just like to rile me up. It gives him some sort of sick amusement. Which brings my thoughts back to the window…

"Take a look at this." Reggie said suddenly, bringing me out of my train of thought.

"What?" I say as I lean over to look at the screen. It's some sort of website with professional lettering for all the text. Hearthome Performing Arts Academy, it read on the top.

"It's that school I was talking about less than 5 minutes ago. Seriously, where do you go when you zone out like that, the moon?"

"Why are you looking at that school's website?" I ask rather annoyed. Simultaneously, I jumped off of the stool and headed to the sink, breakfast having been finished during previously mentioned zone-out.

"Because it's interesting. It says here that Hearthome academy is one of the top 10 schools in the world for performing arts. And it's not just acting and singing, they have programs for art, all types of instruments, dance, and it's all fit into a legitimate high school curriculum." Reggie went on.

"Uh huh," I replied, only half listening as I rinsed out my bowl.

"Every year they hold a big competition for everyone in the music program. That girl, who won last year, got a chance to record her demo."

I started to listen now. Not only was what Reggie saying intriguing, but the tone of voice he was speaking in caught my attention. It was that tone he had when he got an idea.

"Seems like everyone at that school is getting good training in what they want to do. And at such a highly recommended school, their chances of succeeding in a hard business are better too."

I abandoned my bowl in the sink, and moved around to the front of the island, standing directly across from where he was sitting. "Where are you going with this?" I asked, pretty sure I already knew the answer.

"Where do you think I'm going?" he replied. His voice was oddly serious.

"Something tells me you didn't just discover that school this morning, did you?" I said, slowly figuring out his game.

"Well, no. Truth be told, a good friend of mine mentioned it a few weeks ago. I was just waiting for the right time to bring it up." He said.

_Good friend_? I thought. No doubt its Maylene, she's like the only friend he has. But that was beside the point at the moment. Suddenly all the things that had happened to me this morning were starting to make sense.

"So your idea of a "good time" to bring it up, is right after you piss me off by blinding me with sunlight and making my ears bleed with obnoxious music?" I asked, while placing my hands on the island. "No offence, but your persuasion skills need some work."

"It's a good school Paul." Reggie spoke seriously, something he didn't do often. "And it focuses on something your good at."

"I'm already at school, which starts in like, 2 and half weeks." I responded.

_Where did this even come from? All this time he was plotting to send me away to some stuck-up school in one of the biggest cities in Sinnoh? So much for brotherly love._

"You go to public school; I'm talking about an elite music school. One I know you could get into if you wanted to."

"What makes you think I want to?"

"Paul. You're a good student, but I've known your whole life that music was the one thing you really wanted to do. Public school is so limited in that field, but this school could be an amazing opportunity. You could actually have a career if you got in!"

"I didn't ask you to plan out my life for me."

"No, but as your guardian, I only want what's best for you."

"You think what's best for me is to be shipped off alone to some prissy school 2000 miles away? Shows how much you care." I was getting really mad now. Not only was he going behind my back, but now he was acting like my parent. This morning just kept getting worse and worse.

"You've always been fine on your own. And, do you really want to stay in Veilstone for the rest of your life? You and I both know you don't belong here."

He stood up and walked around the island. We both stood at 5'9, despite our age difference of eight years, he being 23 and I being 15.

"You're talented Paul. You said that girl's song was no good, because you know that you're better. That you can _be_ better. You should at least apply, there's no harm in that!"

He really wanted this for me. I found myself at war. On one hand, I understood why Reggie was so adamant. And I knew, some of the stuff I'd written was better than what that girl had sang in the video. But on the other hand, the one that was winning the war, I was still angry. I didn't need anyone telling me where to go and who to be. That stubborn part of my brain refused to be bossed around. I turned away from my brother, not having a good reason to deny applying to this snobbish school other than my own stubbornness.

"Forget it." I said, as I started to walk away. My life here was fine. I was content with the way things were, and I was confident enough in my own abilities to make it as a musician without this school. Call me egotistical, stubborn; I may be all of those things. But I was not desperate.

"You know if _she_ was here, she'd want you to go."

I froze mid-step. If I could speak I'd curse my brother for playing that card, but just the mention of _her_ rendered me unable to.

"She always thought you were really talented. And, it was always her dream to study music more as well." Reggie said, knowing he was chipping away at the stubborn wall I had put up.

"If you got in, she'd have been really proud."

I sighed heavily. Although I won most of our arguments, if Reggie ever really wanted me to do something, all he'd have to do is mention _her_, and I'd do it. He didn't even need to say her name, just the inference of_ her_ or _she_, and I would cave. He didn't do it often, only when he felt it was really important would he result to guilting me. And apparently, this counted as _really_ important.

"Just saying'," was Reggie's last remark, made rather triumphantly I might add. I walked back up the stairs to my room, trying to push away the thoughts Reggie had just planted in my head. First thing I did was take a cold shower, trying to cut the constant heat of the second floor.

She'd have been proud, Reggie's words echoed in my head.

_Of course she'd be proud_, I thought to myself. _Music was one of her favorite things. _

_Shut up!_ I thought to myself._ Do NOT let him guilt you into this, not this time. I don't want to go to this school. It's my choice, not his._

After my shower, I got dressed in black jeans and the same black shirt I threw on this morning. I opened the window in my bedroom to try to vent out some of the humid air. I slowly looked around the room that had been mine for 15 years.

It was very plain, very clean. White walls with dark wood furniture. In the center of the far wall, white sheets and a navy blue comforter lay on a double bed directly across from the now opened window. The door to my bathroom was beside the door to the hall on the left wall. A desk sat against the same wall in the corner with the window, across from which on the opposite wall sat the dark wood dresser. Beside the dresser sat my most important possessions. Two guitars. One was an electric. A deep, shiny onyx body with a silver neck. I saved up the money for two years to buy half, only to have Reggie front me the rest for my birthday last year. The other was a classic acoustic guitar, which I'd had for a lot longer. It was more familiar, as it used to belong to _her._

_God, stop thinking about it_!

But I couldn't and I knew it. She was everywhere, and Reggie knew that bringing her up would force me to think about her. Only when I did what he asked would the thoughts go away and I could be in peace again. Not that I hated her. It was just… hard to think about her.

She'd want you to go, she'd want you to go, she'd want you to go…

"Damn it." I swore out load. I was caving. I couldn't even find the energy to be mad at Reggie; I was too busy being mad at myself. I really was pathetic, to be so easily controlled. I grabbed my laptop off my desk and flopped down on my bed. I opened up the web browser and searched "Hearthome Performing Arts Academy", which brought me to the website Reggie and I were looking at earlier. I scrolled down and started to read.

_Hearthome Academy was founded by the family of the cities local gym leader Fantina, who felt that those who have talent needed to be taught in the proper environment in order for their talents to become that of professionals. Instead of focusing on the mandatory courses such as English, science, and history, the school offers a program specific curriculum, as well as teaching the necessary secondary high school courses, but with more focus on the fields that the student is most interested in._

Basic info really, but it sounded like an ideal course load. I scrolled down to "Programs of Choice."

_As a performing arts academy, our field specific curriculum includes studies in Music, Drama, Dance, and Visual Arts. The students who get accepted into the academy get to craft their own schedules based on what their interests are. For example, if a student wished to become a musician, they would get to pick from several classes such as Vocal Instruction, Music Theory, Creative Writing as well as instrumental classes for string, brass, woodwind and percussion._

I really hated to admit it. Like, _really_ hated it, but this school actually sounded good. But the more I started to like it, the more tension started to build up. This school was so professional, and very exclusive. Not to mention, expensive. I knew I was good, but even if I got in to this school, how would I even pay for it? It's not like Reggie and I were that well off._ God, now I'm actually considering going. Reggie is never gonna let me live this down._

"So predictable," his voice sounded from beside me. _Speak of the devil_, I thought to myself.

"Get out." I didn't even look up from the screen. I was already beating myself up; I did **not** need his gloating right now.

"Does it bother you that I can manipulate you so easily?"

I responded by whipping a pillow at his face, a childish but satisfying comeback as he did not see it coming.

"Alright, alright," he conceded, giving up his taunting for the moment.

"You know even if I do get in, we have no way to pay for this," I said, struggling to hide the disappointment in my voice.

"Not to fear bro, they have a scholarship program for people who can't pay to go."

"Great, now I'm a charity case," I said with a little humor in my voice.

"Relax; lots of people go on scholarship. It's a pretty wealthy school after all," Reggie responded.

I continued to scroll for application information. "It says I need to send an audition tape of my work with all the application paperwork." I said.

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem for you. I think the biggest problem with that will be deciding what to send in." Reggie responded proudly. He then turned out of my room and walked down the stairs, understanding that I needed some time alone to think about this.

I would pretty much define myself as a serious person. But I was most serious about music. Whatever I would decide to send, I would put everything I had into it. Doing things half-way just wasn't who I was. I grabbed the black, leather-bound pocket book off of my bedside table and proceeded to flip through it. Skipping, the first page, I started to skim all of the pages. The book was my lyric book. All the music and lyrics I had ever written was in there. The admission information had said that I needed to send in something that was 2 minutes maximum, along with all my transcripts and written work. I stopped flipping when I came to one page.

_If I just shortened it a little, and then slowed down the tune_, I thought to myself as I reworked the song in my head._ Yeah, this could work. But I would do that last._

The other things that were required for the admission was a written essay, which I polished off in about an hour, and all my transcripts which I had anyway. By about noon, all the written work for my application was complete, printed and ready to be sent; all that was left was the sample. Which to record, I moved to the basement, taking my acoustic with me.

Ironically, the basement had the most normal temperature in the whole house. Something to do with being well insulated I guess. It was neither too hot nor too cold. It wasn't beautiful, having concrete walls and floor, but it had good acoustics, which is why Reggie didn't mind when I set up some recording stuff down here. It was pretty quick to set up, with microphones set to catch the song and the recording device ready to tape, all I had to do was play. I slung the guitar across me while I sat down on the stool I had moved down there. And as easy as breathing, I started to play.

**( A/N: Waiting For A Girl Like You, Original song by Foreigner, but for the sake of the story, I based it off the glee version)**

_[Paul]So Long_

_I've been looking too hard, I've been waiting too long_

_Sometimes I don't know what I will find_

_I only know it's a matter of time_

_When you love someone_

_When you love someone_

_It feels so right, so warm and true_

_I need to know if you feel it too_

_Maybe I'm wrong_

_Won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong?_

_This heart of mine has been hurt before_

_This time I wanna be sure_

_I've been waiting for a girl like you_

_To come into my life_

_I've been waiting for a girl like you_

_A love that will survive_

_I've been waiting for someone new_

_To make me feel alive_

_Yeah, waiting for a girl like you_

_To come into my life_

I pressed stop on the recording. I rewound it and played it back. It was good, but the perfectionist part of my brain thought it could be better. I redid the recording 6 times before I decided on the best take. From there it was simply burning it onto a CD for submission. Along with the CD and all the written work, I copied down the lyrics and musical score from my book. Figured a hard copy of the sample couldn't hurt. By about 3:00pm, I had everything I needed.

I put all the paper work and the CD into a manila envelope, then copied down the shipping address from the website. And there it was. My application was ready, and now it was out of my hands. I slipped on my black skater shoes and headed down the stairs.

"I'm going out!" I yelled to the house, not waiting to see whether my brother heard me, I headed out the door.

In retrospect, I could've just skated down to the nearest mailbox, as the nearest one was a few blocks away, but I didn't mind walking. It gave me a chance to think.

Realistically, they didn't have to accept me. That school probably got hundreds of applications a day, from people with more money and just as much talent. And although I wasn't even sure that I wanted to go to this school at all, the chance that I _could _get in nagged at the back of my head. According to that website, this school wasn't just exclusive, it was huge. Apparently it rivaled some college campuses. It was one of those, "live-in" schools, so it's not like I'd be homeless if I ended up going. But still, I wasn't going to get my hopes up on a long shot. I still wasn't even sure I wanted to go.

The mailbox was in sight now. And I was pretty sure I'd made my decision about how to deal with the situation. If I got in, I'd go. If I didn't, I wouldn't care. Either way life would go on. And I simply wasn't the type of person to dwell on rejections. I opened the mailbox and slid the package in. I let go of the lid and listened to the _thunk!_of my package hitting the base of the metal container.

Well, it was done. _And no matter what_, I thought as I made my way back home,_ I would have no regrets_.

**A/N: And that finishes chapter one. Now, this is an ikarishipping story, so I think you may have guessed by now that Paul is going to be a little OOC. But any ikarishipper knows that in order to make the pairing work, he has to be a little out of character every time. Which is why I love the ship so much, its very interesting to see and read everyone's take on what Paul would really act like if the relationship ever happened, since we didn't get a lot of development for him in the anime. This story is going to explore the character of Paul, and why he is the way he is. I look forward to continuing this story!**


	2. Enough

**A/N: Hello readers! I only got 2 reviews for chapter 1 of this story, but they were both SO great! It made me want to write even more! Also guys, don't be afraid to review, even if its critical! I'm always looking to improve! Okay, enjoy chapter 2!**

Chapter 2: Enough

**Paul**

**2 weeks later**

It was four days before the start of the new school year when I was almost murdered by my brother.

The day started off pretty normal. I was just trying to enjoy the end days of summer before the new semester started. But that day I was dealing with a case of writers block. I was sitting back against our white couch, acoustic guitar lying across my lap. I was playing the same cord over and over again; hoping inspiration would appear out of thin air. I was so close to finishing my new song and I really wanted it done before school started and all my time became lost.

That was when Reggie attempted to kill me.

One moment I was calmly strumming my guitar, the next moment, a right arm came around into my line of sight and clamped around my throat.

"PAUL!" my brother screamed into my ear as he attempted to strangle me.

"Can't…..breathe…." I managed to choke out. Between the guitar and my brothers choke hold, escape was proving to be a difficult task.

"You have mail Paul! And you'll never believe where it's from!" Reggie went on, ignoring my plea for oxygen. Knowing he most likely would keep his hold on me 'till I lost consciousness, I knew I had to make him let go the only way I knew how.

By inflicting pain.

I reached up with my right hand and found his wrist. Locating the pressure points by feeling alone, I proceeded to press down with all the strength I had in my two fingers.

"AaaaAAAAAHH!" Reggie cried out as he retracted his arm and held it against his chest.

"Are you _trying_ to kill me!?" I yelled at him, not caring that I could've broken his wrist.

"Sorry, but did you really have to break my wrist?" he whined back at me.

"I don't break, I bruise. Which wouldn't have happened if you hadn't woken up this morning with the sudden urge to try and kill me!" I retorted.

"Believe me, if I'd wanted to kill you, I would have done it a long time ago. You're not exactly easy to live with." He shot back, jokingly.

"Whatever," I ended, but then it occurred to me, "So did this attack have a purpose?" I asked curiously.

"Oh yeah, Paul you have mail!" he yelled again, shoving a white envelope in my face.

I set the guitar down on the glass coffee table alongside my lyric book and took the envelope. The return address was to Hearthome city.

_Oh yeah,_ I thought to myself, _I'd almost forgotten about that day 2 weeks ago. The Arts academy that Reggie so weirdly convinced me to apply to. I hadn't really wiped it from my memory, I just didn't think the chances of me getting in were that great so I'd focused on other things. Oh well._

"What are you waiting for? OPEN IT!" Reggie screamed again.

"Would you calm down?! I swear you care more about this than I do!" I replied, hopefully putting an end to this hearing-loss inducing conversation.

Reggie shut up after that, and moved to sit in the matching white armchair at the end of the couch. I switched my gaze to the envelope. It was stiff, rectangular, and white. Nothing really special about it actually. I turned it over, noticing it had a gold seal on the back that oddly resembled Hearthome cities gym badge. I lifted the seal and took out the first piece of paper inside, noticing that there were three papers sealed in the envelope. I opened it and began to read.

_Dear Paul Shinji:_

_We have received your application to the Hearthome Performing Arts Academy, and we were very impressed with the amount of skill you show in both the writing and performance aspects of music. Your audition was not only well done, but the hard copies of your original lyrics and musical score demonstrates that you have a great understanding of both the technical elements and the creative aspects of music. Your written essay on the messages of today's music compared to that of past artists showed us that you have a strong opinion and love for the field. We do not accept those based solely on talent or wealth, but based on how passionate they are about their respective fields of study. From your application, those in admissions as well as myself feel that you would be an irreplaceable addition to our environment. _

_Congratulations, you have been accepted into the Hearthome Performing Arts Academy. Enclosed in this package is a list of courses a musician such as yourself can choose between, as well as a train ticket from Veilstone city to Hearthome city. School starts on September 7th, and move-in to the dorms are scheduled for the dates of September 5th and 6th. Because you are transferring during your sophomore year, you will be required to come and see me on your first day of classes to iron out some details with your official transfer. Other than that, we look forward to having you._

_Sincerely, Principal Cynthia Veil_

I was shocked to say the least. I almost couldn't believe what I was reading.

_I got in. I would be leaving for Hearthome city._

_I was leaving._

I didn't have the luxury of staying in shock for long though, as my brother could no longer contain his excitement.

"What does it say! Is it from the school, did you get in? DON'T KEEP ME IN SUSPENSE!" he kept talking louder and louder with every word. I switched my gaze from the paper to my brother, with a straight face, as I had a better hold over my emotions than he did.

"I got in." I said simply. I wasn't really sure what I was feeling at the moment. My serious nature usually kept me from showing my emotions on the outside, but truthfully I wasn't even sure I was _feeling_ anything. It was like I was numb.

"NO WAY!" But my brother obviously wasn't.

He was talking a mile a minute, and I only caught bits and pieces of it. Something about "packing" and "informing my former high school about the transfer" and some other crap I didn't care to understand. I took hold of my guitar, slipped my lyric book into my pocket and went up to my room, shutting the door behind me. I set the guitar down on its stand and fell backwards onto the bed.

I wasn't really sure how to feel about this predicament I found myself in. I got accepted to the school. I was going to one of the top schools for music in the world. I was going to study what I loved and be around people who understood that. I should be glad about this. But honestly, I hadn't really _been_ anything in a long time, least of all happy. Ever since _her, _I had become closed off to the world; not really feeling any normal emotions in the 5 years since….no. I didn't want to think about that. Getting lost in memories wouldn't do me any good right now.

_Is this what I wanted?_ I applied because I was guilted into it, and I'd done a good job on my application because I couldn't do anything less than perfect. But did I really _want_ to go? Sure, it would be nice to study music more than I did now. And the people there would obviously be more tolerable than the people around here. It wouldn't be that different from usual school, besides living there. I would still probably keep to myself. Being apart from Reggie might be hard at first though. Even though he drove me crazy, he was the only family I had. But I knew realistically, we'd both be okay on our own. So where did that leave me?

My thoughts traveled back to _her_. What would she think if she were here? Would she want me to go? Would she want me to stay? I already knew Reggie's opinion on the matter. But in the end, I was indecisive. I glanced over at the guitar on the stand. It was one of the only possessions of hers I had left, that and the lyric book. I moved my hand into my pocket and pulled out the leather-bound book.

I flipped to the first page, the only one with her handwriting on it. One verse of the song she never finished. The same song I could never finish either. Whenever I tried it just didn't sound right. And maybe a part of me didn't want to, cause then it would really feel like she'd never come back to do it herself. She had loved music so much. She was the one who'd taught me to love it in the same way. Going to this school, it wouldn't just be to make her happy. It would be like honoring her dream, and mine. Something nagged at the back of my mind though.

_Was I really doing this just for her and Reggie's sake?_ That didn't sound like me. The guy who preferred solitude and didn't go out of his way to help anyone. Yet here I was trying to make the argument to myself to go to this school for them. Suddenly I realized that maybe it wasn't for them. Their reasons for wanting me to go were just further arguments to try and dissuade my stubbornness. But as I sat up on my bed, I started to grasp a concept that had been foreign to me up until now. _I wanted to go._

For the first time in 5 years, I actually wanted something for myself. I felt the right side of my mouth lift upwards, making a half-smile. It felt nice to actually want something again. To care about what was changing in my life. I promised myself 2 weeks ago that I would go if I'd got in, and now was the time for me to make good on that promise.

"You alright?" A voice came from the door. I looked over at the voices owner to find my brother. I half-smiled as I realized that I _was_ alright. For the first time in a while.

"Yeah." I said quietly. "I'm alright."

"Good," Reggie said. "Now if you don't mind, we've got a lot to do. The starting date for classes is pushed back a few days more than your old school so we have a bit more time to prepare, but still." His voice got farther away as he walked down the stairs.

I got up and followed my brother, my face falling back to the normal emotionless mask I felt the most comfortable wearing. This was going to be a long week.

* * *

**5 days later**

I sat shot-gun in my brother's mini-van as we pulled up to the Veilstone City train station. I did not think 5 days could pass by so slowly, but my brother apparently had the power to slow down time. The last few days have been nothing but packing, organizing, explaining to Maylene where I was going, and on and on with no end. Truthfully, I was ready to jump on that train and just be at peace for a while without my brother's obsessiveness.

I got out of the car with my two guitars, my acoustic fastened in a solid case, now strapped to my back, and my electric in a soft case with a handle, which I carried. Reggie went around back and grabbed my duffle and a black rolling suitcase. I didn't have an awful lot of stuff, so packing shouldn't have been a problem (but it was, thanks to Reggie).

We walked towards the station, ticket in my hand. I showed it to the man checking them, and he directed us to platform C, where we waited for the train to pull up. It would be a long trip, taking me into tomorrow afternoon, but I didn't mind.

"Hey, are you more quiet than usual?" Reggie asked, obviously trying to make fun of my lack of conversational skills.

"Is that even possible?" I responded. I debated whether I should ask my question or not, ending up deciding to out of concern.

"You gonna be okay, running the place by yourself?" I asked, not looking his way when I did so.

"Don't worry. I've got the breeding handled. Besides, you mainly did heavy lifting and a bit of training, I'll manage on my own."

Reggie was a Pokémon breeder, a career he took up after he gave up training. It made better money, and his only real job was to raise young Pokémon for the professors so they could be assigned to children when they reached the proper age. I'd help out whenever he needed it, but I knew he was capable. I just needed to quiet my concern.

"You got Torrterra right?" he asked.

"Yeah, wouldn't leave without him." I said. Torrterra was the partner I was assigned when I was 10. I got him as a Turtwig and raised him up from there. Most people didn't raise their partners to such high levels, as they were only supposed to be used for protection, but the rare few did. I was part of that few.

The train pulled up to the station, and it was finally time. Reggie placed his hand on my shoulder. He knew I wasn't the emotional type, so he wouldn't make a big scene, but he still wanted to show that he cared. And his hand on my shoulder was enough for me.

"Knock em' dead Paul." Reggie said. I turned towards him and nodded. His eyes were filled with pride. I wanted to be worthy of that pride. I knew then that I wouldn't let my brother down, not after everything he'd done for me. With nothing left to say, I took my bags from him. I went up to the stairs on the train and placed my foot on the first step.

"Keep in touch alright!?" Reggie shouted over the sound of the train whistle.

"Right," I said, knowing he heard me. I turned back to the train and stepped all the way on.

I found a car right away, and a closed off section with two red benches sitting across from each other. I stored my luggage in the overhead compartment, and sat near the window. The conductor came and punched my ticket, and I continued to look out of the pane of glass. I spotted my brother, still on the platform, trying to see if he could locate me on the train. He eventually spotted me and raised his hand in a sign of goodbye. I raised my hand in the same gesture as the train started to pull away. I watched from the window as the station got smaller and smaller until it eventually went out of sight. I leaned my forehead against the cool glass and closed my eyes.

Reggie would be okay, and he was right (although I'd never admit that to his face), I would be okay on my own, just like I always was. This was the right choice. My thoughts traveled back to the last few moments on the station platform, with Reggie's hand firmly set on my shoulder. Our goodbye might not have been overly emotional or heartfelt like most normal families would have been. But it communicated what couldn't be said. All the important things like faith, concern, and overall, pride. And that had been enough. It would always be enough.

* * *

**Dawn**

The leather of the car seats squeaked underneath me as I fidgeted.

_Oh, can't this thing go any faster?_ I thought to myself.

Three whole months was way too long of a break in my opinion, although most others would disagree with me. But those people just didn't go to a school like mine.

The car slowed as it approached the cast iron gates that were all too familiar. They pulled up through the opening and drove up in front of the big ivory building that I missed like an old friend in the time I was away. The car stopped and the driver got out. He came around to my side and opened my door for me. I stepped out slowly, resting my high-heels on the pavement and making sure I was balanced before I stood. I took a deep breath of fresh air before speaking only two words.

"I'm home."

**A/N: I'm thinking of maybe updating once or twice a week. I also have my art to focus on right now, and I'm seriously scared of getting addicted to writing I'm having so much fun! Which isn't a bad thing, I just like to do other stuff too. Bye for now!**


	3. Dream

**A/N: Sup' guys! It's the start of another new week, and that means a new chapter for all my stories! If you don't know yet, I'm planning on updating every Monday and Thursday for the foreseeable future. Have fun reading!**

Chapter 3: Dream

**Dawn**

I brushed off my white trench coat with my hands as the dorm staff took out my bags from the trunk of the car. Man it felt good to be back at HPA Academy. Summer vacation was fun and all, but when you went to a school as awesome as this, you just couldn't wait to come back again. That's how much fun I had freshman year.

I followed the dorm staff into the ivory building that resembled a hotel more than a dorm. The name of the dorm was Valor Hall, one of three dorms located on campus. The others were Verity Hall and Acuity Hall, named after the three Sinnoh lakes. The front doors were made of glass and the lobby was paved with black and white tile, making it look like a giant chess board. I went up to the desk and rang the silver bell. A few seconds later, a woman came around with short brown hair, dressed in a white dress shirt, with a black vest and skirt.

"Good morning. May I help you?" she asked politely.

"I'm here to check in." I said, as I handed her my student ID from last year. She took it in her slender hands and inserted it into a computer.

"Welcome back Ms. Dawn Berlitz. Your room number is 607 on the 6th floor, same as last year." She spook sweetly as a new card popped out of a machine connected to the computer. She handed it to me.

"This is your new room key. Remember that the elevators are key card oriented, and will take you to the correct floor once you swipe your card."

"Thanks, I remember." I said, taking the card. Putting away all my stuff wasn't one of my favorite parts of the day, but it was something that had to be done. I would have come yesterday on September 5th, but my plane got delayed.

_Making my day a bit of a time crunch, _I thought as I made my way towards the elevators.

There were lots of students walking around the lobby, no doubt here for the same reason I was. I went up to the elevator and pressed the up button. The doors opened and I along with the 2 dorm employees carrying my bags walked into the small space. I swiped my key card through the card reader, and the touch screen pad beside it instantly lit up. It gave me three options, Lobby, Floor 6, and Rooftop. I pressed Floor 6, and the elevator began to ascend.

The doors opened again on the sixth floor, where I stepped out and made my way to room 607, the same dorm I'd had last year. I inserted the key card again, and the door unlocked. I pushed open the door and looked around the suite.

Cream coloured walls with a rich, brown leather couch and two matching chairs adorned with cream coloured velvet pillows. The left corner of the room was slightly raised up, to be like a mini stage. The dorms all had this aspect, so that the students could practice on a stage in their rooms. I may have grown up in Twinleaf town, but after living here for only one year, this felt like my real home.

"Will that be all Miss Berlitz?" One of the attendants asked as they set down my bags.

"Yes, thank you." I replied as they left my dorm.

_And now for the hard part._ I moved all of my suitcases to the room I had last year, down the hallway on the right side of the living room. My room was the first on the left, and my roommates would be the one on the right.

_Where was she anyway?_ I thought to myself. _Oh well, she'd get here eventually._

I opened the door to my room. White carpeted floor, with pink walls and light coloured wood furniture. The double bed in the far right corner was just plain white for the moment.

"Well, I'd better get started." I said to no one in particular. I had packed three suitcases full with all the stuff I'd brought. After all, I would be living here all year; I needed material possessions to make this place feel homey. But still, one more pair of hands could be useful, or in this case flippers.

I took hold of the white and red sphere attached to my belt and pressed the white button in the center.

"Piplup, come on out!" I yelled as I threw the ball straight up into the air. Seconds later the sphere popped open to reveal a sparkly blue light, which materialized quickly into the little blue penguin Pokémon I'd had since I was ten years old.

"Pip-piplup!" he greeted me upon awakening.

"Hey Piplup, could you maybe help me unpack all my stuff? It'll go faster if we work together." I asked hopefully. Piplup rubbed one of his flippers against his chin in a thinking motion, and then hit himself on the chest, his sign-language that meant, 'Leave it to me!"

I took off my white trench coat and kicked off me heels.

"Alright, then let's get to it!"

We were able to fit about half of my clothes into the dresser, but we struggled a little bit getting the rest into the closet, plus shoes. I then made the bed with Piplup's help, putting on the fuchsia sheets and blanket I brought from home. Next came make-up, which all had to be set up just right on the light wood vanity table beside the bed. All the necessities were put in the bathroom, and my favorite Buneary plushy was placed onto my bed. 2 hours later since arriving at 10:00 am, Piplup and I were finished. Piplup flopped down on my newly made bed, completely exhausted.

"Yeah, I'm tired too. But thank you so much Piplup, I promise, extra poffins after dinner okay?"

"Pip-lup!" he responded excitedly, before flopping down on the bed again.

"I get it. You just rest for a while kay'? You deserve it."

"DAWN; GET OUT HEAR RIGHT NOW BEFORE I HAVE TO DRAG YOU OUT!"

The voice startled me, but after I realized whose voice it was I couldn't stop the huge smile that spread across my face. I ran out of my room and back down the short hallway into the living room to find my roommate standing in the doorway.

"May!" I yelled, so excited to see my best friend in the whole world.

"The one and only!" she responded, before tackling me with one of her signature Ursaring hugs.

"I missed you so much! How was your trip to the Johto region?" I asked

"Oh it was beautiful Dawn. You should've seen Olivine City, it was just fantastic. And the lighthouse there is even bigger than the one in Sunnyshore!"

May was actually from Petalburg City in the Hoenn region, but she moved to Twinleaf Town in Sinnoh when she was seven. That's how the two of us met and became best friends. We would've come back to Hearthome together, but May's mom surprised her with a last minute trip to Johto.

"Well you look great! Did you get a tan while you were there?" I looked May over. She was wearing blue skinny jeans, a red blouse and black flats with her favorite red bandana. Her skin did look just a little bit more sun-kissed than when I had seen her last.

"Well maybe a little. They've got great beaches there; Mum and I must have gone at least once a day. But don't sell yourself short Dawn, you look great too!"

I _had_ put some effort into my outfit today. Minus my white trench coat and pink heels, I was wearing a cream coloured ruffle skirt and a pink strapless top. My midnight blue hair was left straight and down, and I had on my new red poketch and my purple bangle bracelet.

"Thanks. So, are you ready to settle back into school life?" I asked.

"Not yet. All I want to do right now is take a nap." May sighed as she flopped down on the leather couch.

"Oh come on May, you haven't even put your stuff away yet!" I said, gesturing to the two red suitcases she left by the door.

"I don't wanna. You know that flights make me sleepy, and my plane got delayed this morning." She mumbled, turning away from me.

"You too? Well that explains why you're late. I've already put all my stuff away."

"Good for you, now please let me rest." May whined.

"You need caffeine, pronto. I'll go get you some coffee from the lounge." I said, heading back to my room to retrieve my shoes.

"Extra sugar!" I heard May yell from the couch. I rolled my eyes as I walked into my room, deciding to leave Piplup asleep on my bed. I didn't have the heart to wake him after he worked so hard. I slipped on my pink heels, grabbed my pale pink shoulder purse and my key card, and slipped out of the dorm, closing the door behind me. I walked to the elevator and was about to press the button to go down when it suddenly opened, revealing a very familiar face.

The girl on the other side of the elevator door had long brown hair that was about the same length as mine and spring green eyes. She wore a white sundress with green flats and was carrying a black guitar case. Her eyes instantly lit up when she saw me.

"Dawn!" the girl screamed as she jumped out of the elevator to hug me, much like May did.

"Leaf! When did you get here?" I asked to my second best friend.

"I got here yesterday remember? I had to leave Twinleaf early to get my schedule straightened out with my guidance councilor."

"And you didn't come to greet me as soon as I got here? I'm insulted!" I said, in a jokingly manner.

"Well, if you had your phone turned on, I would've come down to greet you!" she responded.

"It's not my fault it died on the way here!" I said defensively.

"Sure, sure. Where you going anyway?" Leaf asked.

"Making a coffee run. May's pretty much dead to the world."

"May's here too? I'll come with." She said as she moved aside for me to get into the elevator. She swiped her card and selected the Lobby from the touch screen pad.

"So, you run into Kenny yet?" Leaf asked.

"No, thank Arceus. That guy just doesn't know when to take a hint. I mean, I like him as a friend, but it is never gonna be anything more." I sighed. I had known Kenny since kindergarten. We dated for a month last year, and I had broken it off because I just didn't feel anything. But Kenny was persistent.

"I don't know why he bothers. He already has Zoey after him, and she has way more in common with him than you do." Leaf said.

"Zoey likes Kenny?!" I said surprised. I can't believe I never noticed before.

"Totally. I think they could be really happy together if Kenny would just give up on you." Leaf concluded. She was the level-headed one in the group.

"Well, I hope they get together. Kenny disserves to be happy with someone who likes him" I responded.

The doors opened to the lobby, and we both stepped out onto the chess board floors. We made our way through the hallway to the right of the lobby, and walked through the swinging doors. The lounge was one of the common places in the dorms where the guy students and the girl students could socialize. It had a café counter where we could order food, and a section filled with booths and tables for eating, as well as some couches just for chilling. Leaf and I were walking up to the café when Leaf suddenly pulled me down behind one of the velvet couches.

"Leaf, what are you doing?" I asked, rather confused.

"Shh!" she shushed me. "I don't want them to see us."

"Who is them?" I asked, peeking over the couch. Then I immediately understood.

"Seriously Leaf? We're hiding from Ash and Gary?" I raised my eyebrow at her.

"Don't you 'Seriously Leaf' me! I **_so_** do not want to deal with him right now." She scowled at me as she spoke.

I knew by "he" she meant Gary. They'd known each other since they were kids, but when she moved to Sinnoh when she was ten they'd lost touch. Ever since they'd met again at Hearthome Academy, he'd been flirting with her non-stop. An activity that severely got on her nerves. Secretly though, I think she liked him back. She just wasn't used to the shameless pick-up lines he used. Truth be told it was a complicated relationship. I peeked back over the top of the couch, watching as they walked out the swinging doors we had come in not 3 minutes ago.

"Okay, they're gone." I told her tiredly.

She stood up, guitar case in hand, pulling me up with her.

"Good, now for our objective. Coffee."

We went up to the café counter and placed our orders. Caramel Latté for Leaf, Vanilla Latté for me, plain coffee with 5 sugars for May, and then Leaf ordered a second cup of espresso with extra froth.

"Two coffee's Leaf? What, have you not slept for a week or something?" I asked.

"It's not for me silly, Misty's unpacking upstairs."

_Ah Misty, I was wondering when she'd turn up_. Misty was my third and newest best friend. We'd all met Misty when we came to this school, apparently she met Ash and Gary about the same time Leaf had moved to Twinleaf Town. She was kind of a hot-head, but she was also loyal and a good listener. We'd all become fast friends when we'd met. Even though I'd only known her for a year, I still loved her just as much as I loved Leaf and May.

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let the ingestion of caffeine commence!" I said as I paid for our drinks, then took all four coffees and headed towards the door. Leaf carried her guitar case and swiped the card in the elevator, my hands being filled with caffeinated beverages. It took us to the sixth floor, the floor all four of us lived on. While Leaf went to go get Misty and drop off her instrument, I headed to room 607, where I somehow managed to swipe my key card while simultaneously holding all four of our drinks. May was still asleep on the couch as I placed our drinks down on the hard wood coffee table. I hit her with one of the pillows resting on an armchair to wake her up.

"Mmm, five more minutes mom…" she groaned as she turned away from me.

"Wakey, wakey, May. I come bearing sugar drowned coffee for you."

That woke her up, she stretched as she sat up, and then took the cup I offered her.

"Thanks Dawn," she murmured as she sipped her drink.

I smiled as I sat back in one of the arm chairs and sipped my Latté. A moment later, there was a knock on our door, which I excitedly answered.

"Someone promised me coffee," said the red-head from the other side of the door. She sported an off the shoulder blue shirt and white shorts, with red converse and her hair pulled up in a side pony-tail.

"And coffee there is, come on in Misty!" I said as I swung the door open wide and hugged her.

"Good to see you Dawn." She said as she patted my back. I let her go as she made her way to her espresso.

"Looks like the gang's all here!" Leaf announced as she stepped through door.

"Man it's good to be back!" said Misty, now sitting beside May on the couch. Misty had three older sisters that she could barely stand. One of the reason's, I suspected, that she applied to this school. So she could get away from them.

"So how far have you gotten in unpacking?" I asked Leaf and Misty.

"I finished yesterday," Leaf said, predictably so. She was the most well-organized of us all.

"I'm almost done," said Misty.

"WHAT! I haven't even started yet!" said May, slumping into the couch.

"That's cause you decided to take a nap instead," I pointed out.

"Don't suppose I could get some help from you guys?" she asked hopefully.

"Sorry May, but in case you've forgotten, we're not gonna have any time. The welcome assembly is today, and you all agreed to help me out with it remember?" I said.

A collective groan came out of my three best friends.

"I completely forgot about that," Leaf said, slipping from her chair to the floor.

"We were so focused on unpacking," Misty chimed in.

"I haven't even started yet guys! How am I supposed to do both!?" May was starting to freak now.

"C'mon guys! May, I promise I'll help you unpack when we get back. And Leaf, Misty, I'll totally owe you guys!" I had to get them motivated. After all, I was the one performing at the welcome assembly, and I wouldn't be able to do it without their help.

"Fine," they all sighed.

"Leave it to the HPA's Pop Princess to whip us all into shape," Leaf said. Pop Princess was the name I'd been dubbed at last year's Hearthome showcase.

"Well of course Leaf!" I responded as I made my way to the door. "After all, it's not every year that a freshman wins first place in the biggest competition in school."

* * *

**Paul**

The train lurched and woke me up from my slumber. I forgot where I was for a second, wondering why I was on a train instead of in my room back in Veilstone. Then it all came back. I looked out the window, and stared at the skyline just visible behind the station.

I could see the large, dome shaped amphitheater in the distance, as well as buildings of all shapes and sizes. There were some buildings that rose as high as the clouds. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was dreaming. But as the loudspeaker came on announcing the train's arrival to Hearthome city, I knew it wasn't a dream.

My dreams had just become reality.

**A/N: I'd like to take a moment to pay respect to Cory Monteith, who died this past weekend in Vancouver BC. For 4 years he was the male protagonist of Fin Hudson on the hit show 'Glee'. He was only 31. It is always tragic when someone dies, but even more so when someone with so much talent and their whole lives a head of them, gets their life cut short. Please remember him for all his accomplishment and his talents. My heart goes out to his family and friends, and I sincerely hope that wherever he is now, he is at peace. Thank you.**


	4. Why?

**A/N: Chapter four! For all my stories! So excited, because I'm officially up to 10 reviews on this story. Getting into the double digits now. Still move-in day, just so you know. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Why?

**Paul**

The train station was packed with people, all either getting on, getting off or waiting for their respective trains.

I walked off of the train with my bags in tow, and started towards the entrance. It was almost overwhelming, the amount of people in this city. Sure Veilstone was just as big, but the citizens there weren't nearly as busy. Everyone here seemed like they had someplace to go. They were all walking fast and speaking over each other. It was starting to give me a headache.

Once I reached the entrance of the station, I saw a few men in black suits, holding up signs that had people's names on them. What I didn't expect to see was someone holding up a sign with _my_ name on it.

_They sent me a car? _I wondered. _Man, this school really is rich._

I walked up to the man and nodded my head, silently letting him know that I was the one he was looking for. The man nodded back.

"The car is waiting for you Mister Shinji." He said to me. He took some of my bags, but I stopped him from taking my guitars. I always felt more comfortable carrying them myself. We walked over to an expensive looking black car and put my bags and instruments in the trunk. I went to get in, but he beat me to it, opening the car door for me.

_I am never going to get used that,_ I thought to myself. I slipped into the back seat of the car, while the driver shut the door behind me.

I was not one to be pampered. And if life at this school was anything like how this driver was treating me, then I knew I wouldn't be getting used to it anytime soon. We drove in silence, something that was usually comforting to me, but seemed strangely foreign being in a new city all alone. I decided to drown out the silence by distracting myself. I lifted up the black and silver headphones that hung around my neck to cover my ears. I took out my iPod Touch from the pocket of my black hoodie and pressed shuffle, settling into some Skillet song. I couldn't help myself from staring out the window.

The buildings that passed by the moving car were all either made out of grungy looking stone or clean looking glass, contrasting each other, yet oddly enough, still looking like they belonged together. There were huge television screens that hung from between the buildings, playing different advertisements over and over again. Everything here was just so vivid.

Bright and colorful; those were the two words I'd use to describe Hearthome city. But as the car drove on the sights and sounds of downtown started to fade as the buildings became smaller, and more elaborate. The school was in one of the nicest neighborhoods' in the city, and I had to say that I was impressed.

We approached a large, cast-iron gate that surrounded a sizable property that I could only guess was the campus. The gates opened upon the driver's identification, and we proceeded to drive up the paved section of the campus. There were hills and greenery everywhere, as well as cement pathways and seated areas built amongst them.

The car stopped in front of a tall ivory building with wide windows and many students loitering outside. I paused my music and pulled my headphones back down around my neck. I exited the car myself, not waiting for the driver. I mean, it was just a car door, not a block of cement. I was pretty sure I could handle it myself. I went around to the back of the car, intending to get my bags from the trunk when two men approached me wearing black and white uniforms, who I assumed worked for the school.

"Help with your bags sir?" one of them asked, obviously confused as to why I wasn't letting them handle my bags for me.

_How stuck-up __**were**__ the people at this school? _I thought.

"No. Thanks." I told them dismissively. I grabbed my stuff from the back, and briskly walked past them. It was then that I noticed the stares.

The students who had been standing in front of the school, as well as those who were just passing by, were staring at me like I'd just grown a second head. Like they couldn't believe I was carrying my own stuff into the dorms instead of making the staff do it for me.

_Like I care, _I thought. If you asked me, these guys were pathetic to think that carrying your own things was such an alien task. If they wanted to stare, let them. I was the last person on earth who cared about what other people thought of me. I ignored all of them while I walked through the glass doors, like I was the only person on campus.

I walked up to the girl at the reception counter.

"Hello! Welcome to Valor Hall, how can I help you?" she asked me cheerily. _Well, at least _**she**_ didn't think I was insane._

"Can you tell me what room I'm in?" I asked politely. I drew out the piece of paper from my duffel bag that was supposed to be my identification until I got a student ID. She took the piece of paper from me, and then proceeded to type some things into her computer.

"Oh I see! You're the transfer student. I have your key card already set aside." She said as she went off to get it.

**The**_ transfer student? What, was that my title now? Was it really so rare for people to transfer here? _

She returned a few moments later.

"Here you are," she said, handing the blue plastic card to me. "This is your official room key card. Besides opening your dorm room, it will let you into this building after the doors have been locked at 11:00 pm and it operates the elevator, as they are also key card oriented. You room number is 515 on the fifth floor. And in case you have any further questions, my name is Mary." She concluded.

I nodded my thanks and made my way towards the elevators. I pressed the button to go up, and they immediately opened, allowing my entrance. I noticed a key card scanner in place of a list of buttons for the floors, and swiped the blue plastic card 'Mary' had just given me. Instantaneously, a panel lit up beside the scanner and gave me a list of three floors.

_How rich is this school? _I thought to myself. I touched the option for Floor 5, and the elevator started to move. I looked around the elevator, with not much else to look at. It had metallic walls and a black and white checked floor, similar to that of the lobby.

The doors suddenly opened, leading me to an empty, white washed hallway with black trim and a matching white carpet. I thought back to my conversation with the receptionist and looked for the room number 515. It was near the end of the hall, each floor having exactly 20 rooms to my understanding. I swiped the card into the reader and pushed open the door.

It was a normal looking room. The walls were white, the furniture was dark brown. The only thing that confused me was the semi-circular portion in the middle of the room that was slightly raised and resembled a stage. _Well it _**is**_ a performing school._

I put down my bags down near the back of the couch and took off my hoodie, glad to finally be here. It wouldn't take long to put away all my stuff and I still needed to see the principal to "iron out a few details" as she put it.

"GARY, I SWEAR TO GOD!" I heard someone scream from the hallway over to the left of the room. _Oh yeah, I _**did**_ have a roommate, didn't I?_

"If you came in here to-" his voice cut off when he came into the room and saw that I was not in fact this so-called "Gary". He had on a grey and white plaid shirt with the sleeves pushed up and jeans. The most interesting thing about his appearance though was his hair, which was a bright grassy green and matched his eyes. Although with naturally purple hair, I really couldn't talk.

"Oh, sorry man, I thought you were my obnoxious friend." He apologized. "Long story short, he's an idiot. And he wants my PS3." I glanced over at the flat-screen television in front of the couch to notice said PlayStation 3 plugged in. _Nice._

"So who are you?" he asked, obviously curious as to who the stranger was standing in his dorm.

"Paul Shinji." I responded.

"Cool. My name's Drew Hayden, aaaannd you're my new roommate aren't you?" he drew out the last part, just figuring out why I was there.

"Looks like it." I said.

"Well, nice to meet you man!" he responded, offering his hand, which I shook. I would be living with this guy for a year after all, best to act civil.

"My last roommate graduated last year so I was wondering who they'd get to replace him. But you don't look like a freshman."

"Transfer student." I concluded. Apparently, those two words explained everything.

"Really!? That's rare for this school. You're only allowed to apply once, and usually everyone applies for their freshman year so.…" he trailed off. Well that explained a lot.

I didn't feel like making conversation with Drew right now, so I stayed silent. He seemed nice enough, but I really didn't know much else about him. And I did NOT feel like learning his life story on my first day.

"So, you here for guitar?" he asked, noticing the cases.

"Yeah."

"Cool. I'm a pianist, but recently I've been learning a little bit of base. Acoustic or electric?" he asked.

"Both." I responded.

"Nice. Anyway, the rooms are back there. I've already finished with all my stuff; your room is the one at the end of the hall."

"Kay' Thanks." I concluded, picking up my stuff again and heading back to see it for myself.

I got to the end of the hall and noticed one door on the right side and one at the very end. I opened the one at the end. It was a rather large bedroom for a dorm, more wide than long. The bed was directly across from the door and had plain white sheets set on it. The walls were a pale blue and it had hardwood floors, like the living room and hallway. I closed the door behind me and set down my stuff. There was a dresser on the left side of the bed from where I was standing, and a closet on the far left wall. A door that led to my bathroom was on the left side of the door to the hallway, and on the right side was a desk with a rolling desk chair. A large window that covered half the wall and went from the floor to the ceiling was on the right wall, and it had a white curtain in front of it.

_Not Bad, _I thought to myself.

It only took half an hour to put away all my stuff. Clothes went in the dresser, hoodies and jackets in the closet, toiletries in the bathroom. A small black case set by the lamp on the bedside table next to my alarm clock, and then I plugged in my laptop, iPod and phone to charge on the desk. Then I made the bed with the white sheets and a navy blue blanket. Lastly, I set up my guitars on two stands by the window. I didn't have a whole lot of stuff, but what I did have was mine. And it certainly made this dorm room 2000 miles away from home feel a little more comfortable. I fell backwards onto my bed, like I used to do at home, and threw one of my arms across my eyes, blocking out the sunlight from the window.

Well, I did it. I was here. I'd done it and now there was no going back. Truthfully, all I wanted to do was rest, but my thoughts wouldn't let me. They all just traveled back to _her_. How happy she'd be if she knew I was here. How proud I'd have made her by getting into this school. She had always wanted to come to Hearthome city and see if she could make it as a musician. It was always her dream, and her wistfulness had been contagious. Ironic how that now I was miles away from the place where everything reminded me of her and I still couldn't shake her presence inside my mind. Her absence made my heart ache. Hollow and endless, like an echo inside a tunnel. My thoughts faded to a memory as reality slipped away.

_It was a sunny day in Veilstone, and summer was at its peak. This day seemed like it happened a long time ago, but did it really? It was like any other day, but after a while, they all started to blend together. Those were peaceful days._

_It had just been her and me. The memory was fuzzy, blurring out most of the image of her face, but I knew it was her. In her arms she held her guitar, beach coloured wood against her pale skin. Her slender fingers strummed against the nylon strings. I watched her playing, mesmerized._

_I couldn't remember ever hearing something so beautiful, so pure. Her music, it came from the heart. It made me want to be able to create something just as meaningful. That was a time when I was truly happy. Just listening to her play, basking in the warmth of the sun. That was when we were both, truly…..alive…._

***Knock, knock, knock***

My eyes jolted open, my arm having shifted from across my eyes to my forehead. I glanced over at my alarm clock. The numbers 3:00 were lit up in red. I must have fallen asleep, as it was two hours later. The door opened up to reveal Drew.

"Hey, you had me worried that you'd died on your first day." He told me, obviously joking.

"I fell asleep." I told him, sitting up and trying to shield my eyes from the light coming from the window.

"Well, that saves me a lot of trouble. Would hate to explain that one to the principal. Anyways, it's almost time for the welcome assembly, then after that we go to get our schedules. Coming?" he asked.

"Yeah, just give me a sec." I told him, planning to run a brush through my hair before I left. I grabbed my black hoodie again and slipped it on before heading out the door to my room. Strangely enough, Drew was waiting at the door.

"We've got a little time before it starts. C'mon roomie, I'll give you the Hayden tour while we walk." He spoke as he exited the dorm room. I didn't really have a good reason to deny his offer, so I just followed behind him.

We rode the elevator down and exited Valor Hall. We started down the cement path to the north of the building.

"The campus is set up in a U-shape. All of the buildings are arranged that way, with the main school building being at the top. All of the dorms are set up beside each other on the right side of the school, along with the studio building. Down near the south wall is Acuity Hall and coming up on our right, right now is Verity Hall. Each dorm holds about 200 students, give or take."

We came up to a building that wasn't as tall as the dorms, but was twice as wide. Unlike the dorms though, the walkway wasn't lined with trees.

"This is the studio building. Studios are assigned to a group of about eight students. We basically use them as practice space." Drew explained, continuing on.

"And this is the main school building." He said as we stopped in front of the biggest building so far. The architecture was that of a castle, as it was mainly constructed with square shaped stones, and had tall, arch shaped windows. The front entryways looked like that of a church, with tall, spike like towers and elaborate glasswork for the windows. The whole building was a clean white.

"Yeah, it's pretty impressive the first time you see it." Drew commented, noticing my staring. He pointed the left side of campus.

"Down there is all of the show-room buildings. There's a theatre for the drama students, an art gallery for the art students, and all of the fun buildings."

"What?" I asked, confused at his last statement.

"The fun buildings are things like restaurants, and just places to hang out. We even have our own club, for the music acts to perform at. And lastly, the center of the campus is the courtyard, where we have the means to set up a huge outdoor concert stage." He pointed to the south of the school, where the ground slopped downward and all of the cement pathways connected to a large, park-like area.

"And there you have it! The Hayden tour of wonder is now complete. No need to thank me." He flipped his hair with his hand. My roommate seemed rather arrogant, but hey, if he had the talent to back it up, then he had every right to be.

"Now, let us proceed inside. The sooner the welcome assembly is over, the sooner I can introduce you to the greatest people you will ever meet." He said as he walked ahead of me. His behavior confused me, I mean I knew I was his roommate and everything but why was he being so nice? He had no reason to be; I had done nothing to deserve it. Growing up in Veilstone where fading into the background was as easy as turning on a light switch, I was not used to anyone going out of their way to help me. But never the less, I followed him into the school.

We made our way through the hallways until we reached what Drew called the Showcase theater. Apparently it was the biggest stage in the school, and where all the important stuff happened. It looked like an opera house, with balcony seating above us and on either side of the stage. The actual stage itself was cloaked in a deep red curtain. Drew and I found seats near the middle of the theater, not too close to the stage yet not too far. People poured in through the main entrance and filled the balconies within minutes. Suddenly the lights dimmed, and the huge curtains opened. A woman with long blond hair wearing a blue shirt and black dress pants appeared on stage.

"Welcome back, student of Hearthome Academy!" she said, and the whole theatre erupted with applause.

"For those of you who do not know, I am your principal. My name is Cynthia Veil, and as most of you already know, I was once your Sinnoh League champion."

Applause again. _This woman was champion_? I asked myself.

"But as you all know, being a trainer takes a serious amount of training and years of schooling to become a licensed battler. I spent many years studying and working in order to attain the right to possess more than one Pokémon, and to battle the respective gym leaders, and defeat the elite four in battle. But going through all that schooling, I also obtained all the necessary qualifications to teach if I ever decided that battling wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. And I was right. I gave up battling a long time ago, because I wanted to go after another dream. A dream to teach others, and make their dreams come true. This is why I stand before you today. You are all young, incredibly talented people, and you have proven yourselves worthy of entry into this elite school. And I must say that I am honored to be your principal. Together, I hope we can make this year even better than all of the past years put together, and reach new heights in our journeys to be the best that we can be." Cynthia announced.

"Now, along with the many competitions we hold at this school to test your abilities, our biggest and most prestigious award goes to the winner of the end-of-year Hearthome Showcase. Only the best of the best win this competition, and for the first time in HPA Academy history, last year a freshman happened to win. So without further ado, I present to you the winner of the last Hearthome Showcase, and this schools beloved Pop Princess, Miss Dawn Berlitz!" she ended her announcement, leaving the stage. Suddenly, the lights became dark around the theater, and the stage started filling with white smoke. Colorful lights flashed from the stage, as three silhouettes appeared through the darkness. The music started up, as the lights shone brighter, revealing the faces of the ones onstage. The attention was mainly focused on the one in the middle, who even from this distance looked strangely familiar.

_Oh no, _I thought back to the incident a few weeks ago that inevitably lead me to sitting here in this theater. I knew who she was. She was the girl from the video that Reggie had on that morning. She had midnight blue hair and matching eyes, and she wore a pink and black outfit consisting of shorts and an extremely tight fitting shirt. I thought about her name announced just moments ago.

_Dawn Berlitz, _I thought, _the name of the girl with the empty song._

I wondered vaguely how and why a girl with a song like that could've managed to win this so called prestigious competition.

_Well, _I though, _guess I'm about to find out._

**A/N: Next chapter will be the last of move-in day. Then we can get on to more character development, and DRAMA! Stay tuned for the next chapter guys!**


	5. These People

**A/N: Hey guys! This story, is certainly the most popular of the three stories I've written thus-far. So, I am going to focus on this story a little bit more than my other ones, but they will still all be uploaded at the same time. This will be the last of move-in day chapter, and then we'll be moving on. And just for the record, I am a fan of pop music. I just use it in this story negatively to add some depth to Paul's character. Please don't be insulted if you like these songs, because I like them too. This story is just about learning to appreciate songs with deeper meanings. Okay, now enjoy!**

Chapter 5: These People

**Dawn**

I was waiting backstage for my cue, and I was jittering with excitement. I had been practicing all summer, and I was totally ready for the first performance of the year. I was wearing black, high-waist shorts and a pink and black sparkly halter top. My hair had been curled and put into a ponytail. I also wore black, fingerless gloves and pink converse style shoes that went up to my knees. They were laced with black laces. Meanwhile Misty and May were wearing much similar outfits in different colours. Misty's was blue and white, and May's was red and white. While Misty had her hair up in a side ponytail, May had hers styled in her usual bandana. Leaf was no doubt in the crowd somewhere. If she knew the routine, she'd probably be up dancing with us too, since we'd all done dance last year. But she didn't know the routine because she'd been more focused on her other classes.

"Where is he?" Misty asked angrily. "He's late, just like always."

"Relax Misty; I'm sure he'll be here soon." May reassured her.

They were talking about our mutual friend who had agreed to do a small part in the introduction of the song. In the demo I'd recorded this summer, I had an actual singer do the part, but I didn't have access to him at school. Oh well.

"Sorry, SORRY!" someone said as they made their way backstage. It was our friend Ash, who had made it just in time.

"You're late!" Misty yelled at him before hitting him upside the head.

"Sorry, I got held up." Ash apologized.

"Pika-Pikachu…" Pikachu said, perched on Ash's shoulder.

"By held up, do you mean lost track of time because you were eating?" I asked. Ash looked down, too embarrassed to admit I was right.

"Idiot. We're on in five!" Misty yelled again, making Ash shrink back. I swear, no one could instill fear in people like she could.

"Calm down Misty, he's here and that's all that counts." I tried to reason. She looked to have calmed down at my words.

"Hey Dawn, you sure about this? I'm not exactly a rap star." Ash asked.

"Don't worry Ash; it's only like two lines at the beginning of the song. It won't matter that much anyway!" I tried to reassure him.

"O-kay…" he said.

"…Without further ado, I present to you the winner of the last Hearthome Showcase, and this schools beloved Pop Princess, Miss Dawn Berlitz!" we heard Principal Veil say.

"That's our cue! Move it ladies!" I said as I pushed them onto the darkened stage.

I did a mental checklist waiting for the music to start up.

_Clothes, check, Headset, check, Shoes, check, Voice, check!_

I had everything I needed. The lights shone down on me, and I felt like I was the most important person in the world. The crowd cheered, just like they did at the last Showcase, and I felt as comfortable as if I were back in Twinleaf Town. I started.

**(A/N: Tik Tok by Ke$ha. Also a glee version, but I like the original better!)**

_[Dawn:] (Ash) Wake up in the morning _

_Feeling like P Diddy (Hey, what up girl?)_

_Grab my glasses_  
_I'm out the door_  
_I'm gonna hit this city (Let's go)_  
_Before I leave_  
_Brush my teeth with a_  
_Bottle of Jack_  
_'Cuz when I leave for_  
_The night I ain't coming back_

_I'm talking pedicures on our toes toes_  
_Tryin on all our clothes clothes_  
_Boys blowin up our phones phones_  
_Drop top and, playin' our favorite CD's_  
_Pullin' up to the parties_  
_Tryna get a little bit tipsy_

_Don't Stop, Make it pop_  
_DJ blow my speakers up_  
_Tonight, I'mma fight_  
_'Til we see the sun light_  
_Tick tock, on the clock_  
_But the party don't stop, no_  
_Whoa whoa oho x2_

_Don't Stop, Make it pop_  
_DJ blow my speakers up_  
_Tonight, I'mma fight_  
_'Til we see the sun light_  
_Tick tock, on the clock_  
_But the party don't stop, no_  
_Whoa whoa oho x2_

_Ain't got no care in the world, but got plenty of beer_  
_Ain't got no money in my pocket, But I'm already here_  
_And now the dudes are lining up 'Cause they hear we got swagger_  
_But we kick 'em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger_

_I'm talkin' bout_  
_Everybody getting crunk crunk_  
_Boys try to touch my junk junk_  
_Gonna smack em if he gettin' too drunk drunk_  
_Now, Now we goin' 'til they kick us out out_  
_Or the police shut us down down_  
_Police shut us down down_  
_Po Po shut us-_

_Don't Stop, Make it pop_  
_DJ blow my speakers up_  
_Tonight, Imma fight_  
_'Til we see the sun light_  
_Tick tock, on the clock_  
_But the party don't stop, no_  
_Whoa whoa oho x2_

_Don't Stop, Make it pop_  
_DJ blow my speakers up_  
_Tonight, I'mma fight_  
_'Til we see the sun light_  
_Tick tock, on the clock_  
_But the party don't stop, no_  
_Whoa whoa oho x2_

_(Misty and May):(DJ)_  
_[Dawn:] You build me up_  
_You break me down_  
_My heart, it pounds_  
_Yeah you got me_

_With my hands up_  
_You got me now_  
_You got that sound_  
_Yeah you got me_

_You build me up_  
_You break me down_  
_My heart, it pounds_  
_Yeah you got me_

_With my hands up_  
_Put your hands up_  
_Put your hands up up up up up up_  
_Now the party don't start 'til I walk in..._

_Don't Stop, Make it pop_  
_DJ blow my speakers up_  
_Tonight, I'mma fight_  
_'Til we see the sun light_  
_Tick tock, on the clock_  
_But the party don't stop, no_  
_Whoa whoa oho x2_

_Don't Stop, Make it pop_  
_DJ blow my speakers up_  
_Tonight, I'mma fight_  
_'Til we see the sun light_  
_Tick tock, on the clock_  
_But the party don't stop, no_  
_Whoa whoa oho x2_

And the crowd exploded! The cheers came from all over the place, and it was almost deafening. It felt so good to be cheered. To be loved. It was the best feeling in the world, and I wanted it to last forever. I looked out on all the adoring students, and I just knew. Last year might have been fun, but I knew this year would be even better!

**Paul**

We struggled to fight our way through the crowd of people pouring out of the theatre-like auditorium, but we managed somehow. Once we did however, everyone seemed to swarming somewhere else.

"WE GOTTA GO GET OUR SCHEDULES NOW!" Drew shouted over the crowd. "THIS WAY!"

I followed him as he led me through the crowd of teenagers. I put my headphones back over my ears just to block out the noise a bit. Eventually, we made our way to a computer system mounted on a wall. There was a line of them, spanning the whole length of the wide hallway.

"Everything's electronic." Drew explained as we got in line. "We just swipe our Key Cards and they get printed out."

I wondered vaguely why they didn't just email everyone their schedules, but I didn't ask. They had mailed out our schedules at my high school in Veilstone, but things were obviously different here.

The line moved fast. We were soon standing at the front in a matter of minutes. Drew swiped his key card into a card reader similar to the ones they had in the elevators. His name and picture popped up on a computer screen situated next to it. Then it showed a list of classes, and simultaneously printed it out from a slot underneath the screen.

"You got your key card?" Drew asked. I responded by fishing it out of my pocket and holding it up.

"Swipe away then." He said as he stepped aside. I did as he did, and swiped the key card through the slot. The same thing happened as it did last time, except with my name and picture. It then printed out a schedule from the wall. I was about to take it, but Drew snatched it away. I was about to ask why, until I saw him scanning both my and his schedule's side by side.

"Cool, we have four periods together plus lunch." He said as he handed my schedule back to me."Now, let's go."

"Where?" I asked.

"The Valor Lounge. I don't know about you, but I'm starving. And the dining hall doesn't open 'till tomorrow. Follow me, Silence of the Lambs."

_I think that last remark was supposed to be a joke_, I thought to myself. I smirked as I walked. I wasn't sure whether he was focusing on the 'silent' part and making fun of the fact that I don't talk much, or comparing me to a serial killer, but either way, I found it amusing.

"Well what do you know; the man's got a sense of humor after all." He commented as he noticed my smirk. He reminded me a bit of my brother. Only more arrogant and less sarcastic. I think I could live with him.

We walked back to Valor Hall and went to the lounge, which was basically like a cafeteria/rec. room. It had couches, booths, television, and food. It wasn't bad. We both ordered dinner, and then found a booth with a good view of the television.

"So where you from?" Drew asked as he munched on his lasagna.

"Veilstone," I responded, preoccupied with my sub.

"Cool. I'm from LaRousse City in the Hoenn Region."

"Mmph." I responded.

"You know, you don't really say much." He commented. "But you're okay."

I looked up at him, confusion written on my face. Usually people just left me alone once they realized I didn't really like talking. But Drew not only noticed that trait of mine, he accepted it. That was new for me.

"So, what did you think of Dawn's song?" he asked randomly.

"You know her?" I asked.

"Yeah, met her last year. She's alright, but she's got some…interesting friends." He said weirdly. I wondered what he meant.

"So what did you think?" he asked again. _Oh, how to phrase this._

I didn't know what to tell him. Although, I always believed that honesty was the best policy, and he had asked my opinion.

"Too loud. I prefer music that's played not recorded, and the message was rather shallow." I said honestly. Drew just stared at me.

"What?" I asked.

"It's just….I think that's the most I've heard you talk all day."

I smirked. He was right, it was still humorous though.

"You done?" he asked. I was so I nodded yes.

"Good, let's go. There are some people I want you to meet." Drew said before he walked away. I followed behind, feeling like that's all I had been doing all day. But it's not like I knew my way around, so I wasn't _that _irritated.

We made our way to the lobby when suddenly Drew was knocked to the ground right in front of me. I stopped walking, and looked to my right, where Drew was currently fighting off another guy with brown, spiky hair.

"Gary, GET OFF!" Drew yelled. I remembered earlier today when Drew had yelled at me from the other room. So _this _was the Gary that he was talking about.

"Now Drew, you know that's not how it works. You either have to say the magic word or be a man, and fight your way out. Although frankly, you've got as much upper body strength as a Togepi, so I recommend the first option." Gary chastised as he kept Drew's head in a firm headlock.

"Friend of yours?" I asked, slightly amused. Drew was really struggling to free himself from Gary's hold.

"Come on Gary, leave him alone." A voice sounded as another guy walked up to us. He had black hair and a Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

"Ashy, Ashy, Ashy. You know I can't do that, how else will Drew ever become a man?" he continued to mock as Drew fought back.

"Hey there." The black haired kid said, directing his attention to me. "My name's Ash Ketchum and this is Pikachu." He gestured to his shoulder.

"Pika!" his Pokémon said.

"Are you a friend of Drew's?" Ash asked.

"Kind of. New roommate." I informed him, ignoring the pathetic struggle beside us.

"Aahh right! So what's your name?"

"Paul Shinji."

"Well, nice to meet you Paul!" he said, sticking out his hand. I shook it, being polite, although this kid seemed a little too happy to be real.

"Okay, I give! PLEASE let go!" Drew conceded. Gary then released him with a disappointed look on his face.

"Tisk, tisk. Drew, you've got to start working out man. That was just sad. Hey, who's this?" Gary asked, noticing my presence.

"This is Paul, my new roommate. We were just coming to meet you guys actually."

"New kid huh? Well, it'll be nice to have someone new to make fun of. But first things first." He said as he walked over to me. "The TEST OF STRENGTH!" He yelled as he clamped his arm around my throat like he had Drew. Rolling my eyes, I reached up and grasped his wrist, and twisted.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow! Let go, let go!" Gary begged as he kneeled down from the pain. I released his wrist quickly. Ash and Drew looked stunned.

"Dude! How did you do that!?" Drew asked, astonished.

"I've got an older brother." I said.

"That was so cool! You're alright Paul!" Ash exclaimed as he clapped my shoulder.

"Gotta say, that hurt. But, it was also the first time someone passed the Test of Strength so quickly. I respect that." Gary said, still cradling his wrist.

I looked at both of them. They were the same as Drew. They didn't care that I was different, and they didn't care that I was new. They were alright with me, and strangely enough, I was alright with them too. I half-smiled, okay with these people that had entered my life.

"What did I tell you?" Drew said, flipping his hair. "Best people you will ever meet."

"Just so you know, he flips his hair _all the time_. We're not entirely sure why, it's just his thing." Gary murmured to me.

"Don't diss the hair flip man!" Drew yelled.

"Hey, if you guys are done," Ash started, gaining their attention. "Drew, you showed Paul the roof yet?"

"Nope, but there's no time like the present!" Drew said, heading towards the elevators. We all followed him, piling into the elevator. Drew swiped his card and selected the roof option. The elevator moved up.

"What's on the roof?" I asked.

"You'll see soon enough." Was all Gary said. Then the doors opened up, revealing the roof on top of Valor Hall.

It was like a lot of things. Surrounding the roof was glass paneling, which created a dome shape above the Hall. On the edges was a sort of garden. Plants lined the edge of the dome, and some ivy even climbed the glass walls. At the far edge, was (surprise, surprise) a raised portion that resembled a stage. There were chairs set up everywhere. They all looked like the kind that surrounded a pool. They were long, and were made for lying in the sun. It looked like a giant patio, with a very big sunroof.

We all walked forward and sat on chairs. The guys looked like they were right at home, but I was still getting used to all of this.

_Was this really where I was going to go to school?_ It seemed so….larger than life. I grew up rather normally, and this place was certainly not normal. _Could I get used to this_? I thought.

"So Paul," Gary asked, "How you liking HPA so far?"

I thought about it. The academy itself was very impressive, and Hearthome city was actually much more pleasant than my home city. I also looked at the guys with me. We were all far from being best friends, but I got the feeling that I would be spending some time with them. They seemed tolerable to say the least. And thinking about it, these people, along with this place, were not terrible. I didn't hate it, and that was comforting.

"I think," I started, smiling a bit, "That I'm going to like it here."

**A/N: FINALLY! Done with move-in day. I had intended for chapters four and five to be one chapter, but their was so much I wanted to cover, so I split it up into two chapters. Stay tuned for the next chapter, where two certain someone's are finally going to meet!**


	6. The First Day

**A/N: You guys have been so patient. And now, your patience shall be rewarded. Everyone is moved into the dorm, and now classes at HPAA shall begin. Enjoy Chapter 6!**

Chapter 6: The First Day

**Paul**

***BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP***

I hit the snooze button on my alarm clock. I opened my eyes a crack and looked around the room that was now supposedly mine. It wasn't really the room itself I was getting used to, as it looked a lot like my old one, it was the location. I still couldn't believe where I was. But then again, I had only been here a day. And classes started well, today.

The alarm clock read 7:00 am. Classes didn't start for an hour, but I still had to get ready.

I made it over to the bathroom, basically blind, to get ready. By the half hour mark, I was set to go.

The clothes I usually dressed in were pretty much the same. Most were either black or grey, and very plain. But I didn't really care much about outer appearances. People should be judged based on their talent, not by what they look like. I wore black jeans, a grey shirt, and a black jacket. I took my acoustic guitar and headed towards the main part of the dorm.

When I made my way down the short hallway, I found my roommate just lying down on the couch looking like he was waiting for something. He wore blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a purple, short-sleeved button up shirt over it. He caught sight of me and then stood up.

"Morning roommate, ready for the first day?" Drew asked.

"As I'll ever be," I responded, holding my acoustic guitar case in my right hand.

"'Kay, let's get some breakfast before we head over though." he suggested as he made his way towards the door. I realized that situated by the door was a skateboard, which had definitely not been there last night.

"That yours?" I asked curiously.

"Oh yeah. Campus is pretty big so they encourage students to have wheels. Not that walking is all that terrible either. You board?" Drew asked.

"Yeah actually." I had brought my board when I came to Hearthome, although it was a pain to get in the suitcase.

"Awesome! You know, I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship. But we're gonna have to work on your conversational skills."

I rolled my eyes then headed back to get my board. I had learned to skateboard when I was about eight, so I'd gotten pretty good. I didn't even worry about skateboarding while carrying my guitar anymore, since I'd been at it for so long. I grabbed my board and Drew and I headed out.

We ate in the lounge like the day before, although now that school had officially started, all the restaurants and the cafeteria had officially opened again. But it was 7:30 in the morning, and we didn't really feel like going anywhere else.

We finished breakfast pretty fast, and then we were off towards the school. It felt good to skateboard again, familiar even. I may be in a new school in a new city, but I still found comfort in doing things I had done back home. We made it to the castle-like school building way faster than we did last time when we walked. Now I knew what Drew meant when he said that wheels were encouraged. I saw a lot of other students who had different modes of transportation. Bikes, roller-blades, skateboards, longboards, and then people who just walked.

"We get lockers to store our stuff in too. Their assigned by what room you're in. Come on." Drew said as he picked up his board and walked into the school.

We found our lockers in a bank on the first floor. Apparently, whatever dorm you're in decides what level your locker is on. First floor is Valor hall, second floor is Verity hall, and third floor is Acuity hall. We were putting out boards away once we found our lockers when I suddenly remembered something.

"Damn." I said. "I forgot."

"What?" Drew asked.

"I've gotta go see the principal to straighten some stuff out with my transfer."

"Well, I guess that makes sense. The office is kind of hard to find though. This way." Drew said as he led me down numerous hallways. We eventually came to what looked like the main office. We walked up to a very elaborate, wooden door, with a silver nameplate that read _Principal Cynthia Veil _on it.

"This is it." Drew said. "Good luck in there, also, try not to get lost when going to class 'kay?"

I scoffed as I went into the office while Drew continued to head down the hall to find his first class.

I walked inside the office and looked around. There were mahogany bookshelves on both sides of the room, and three arch-shaped windows on the back wall. There were two green velvet armchairs sitting in the middle of the room, and a large desk which sat in front of the windows. Behind the desk was the same woman from the welcome assembly. She had the same long blond hair; today she was wearing a black dress jacket over a light blue shirt with black clips in her hair. She looked up when I entered, and I noticed that her eyes were silver in colour.

"Good morning. You must be Mr. Shinji." She spoke politely.

I nodded my head yes and stepped all the way into the office, closing the door behind me.

"I'm glad you remembered to come see me on your first day." She said as she brought out a folder of paper from her desk.

"We have so much to discuss."

Something told me I wasn't going to be making it to first period.

* * *

And I was right.

By the time we were done going through every documented form of my existence, the bell rang signaling the end of class. Principal Cynthia, as she preferred to be called, let me go when she heard the bell, not wanting to keep me out of class any longer. And I was grateful.

I took out my schedule once I exited the office, and saw that my second period class was Instrumental Music for String musicians. _Well, at least it'll be easy for me._

I walked down the maze of hallways Drew had lead me through, and eventually found Music room #2, where my class was being held. I walked through the door to find a grey carpeted room with a step-like floor that resembled the kind of pews that a choir would stand on. There were students in there for all types of string instruments. It kind of resembled an orchestra in how it was organized. The sections were split up by what instrument you played. The guitars were in one section, the violins in another, etc. There were about 40 people in the class, but I assumed this wasn't the only period that this class was offered. They probably just separated instrumental classes by grade and type. And right now, was the sophomore string class.

"Yo' Paul!" I heard from somewhere in the guitar section.

I looked around and saw Gary sitting on a pew close to the floor with a steel string guitar across his lap. He was sitting beside a girl who looked like she'd rather be anywhere else than beside him, but when her eyes turned to see who he was greeting, they landed on me and her expression changed from aggravated to curious.

I walked over to the guy whom I'd hurt yesterday, glad that he harbored no ill will towards me for almost snapping his wrist in half. I sat down in the chair next to his and put my case down.

"So, how'd your first class go?" he asked.

"Don't know, Principal Cynthia kept me in her office the whole period."

"Harsh man. But, at least you get to start the day with Music."

"Ah-emmh." The girl sitting beside Gary cleared her throat. She had long brown hair and green eyes, and she was wearing jean shorts and an olive green tank top.

"Oh, Paul, this is Leaf Green, my girlfriend." Gary said with a smirk. Leaf then proceeded to hit him upside the head with the music book she was holding.

"I am NOT your girlfriend." She yelled before turning to me. "Hey there, I don't think we've met before. Are you new?"

"Yeah."

"I know that feeling. Sucks, doesn't it? But, you picked a pretty great school to be new at. I'm Leaf, as Idiot Oak there already mentioned." She said.

"I'm Paul." I told her, before opening my guitar case and bringing out my acoustic.

"Wow! Look at that! Nice guitar!" Leaf marveled at my guitar as I was about to put on the shoulder strap.

"Looks like a normal guitar to me." Said Gary, earning another hit with Leaf's music book.

"You don't know anything. I can tell, that guitar has been well used. It's got character!" she expressed as she stood up and walked in front of my chair to get a better look.

I wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about, but I wasn't about to ask her any questions.

"Can I see it?" she asked innocently.

Normally, I would say 'Hell no" and brush her off. But this girl Leaf, I could tell she wasn't just some irresponsible music fan-girl who wanted to play Rock Star. The way she looked at my guitar, like it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. She was a true musician; she respected my instrument, and probably all instruments. Even though it was one of my most precious possessions, before I realized what I was doing, I had handed my guitar over.

She held it like it was made of glass. She studied it with not only her eyes, but with her hands, exploring the wooden frame with her fingertips. She plucked one of the nylon strings, and I felt myself flinch. _What was I doing? _Letting a total stranger handle my guitar, this, this wasn't me at all. I kept to myself, I didn't let anyone close. And it bothered me that I was letting this girl handle my guitar, **_her _**guitar, with nothing more than slight irritation. What was wrong with me?

All of a sudden, the door to Music Room #2 opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with black hair, streaked with white, wearing a grey suit. Swiftly, everyone made their way to their seats. Leaf handed me back my guitar, and went back to her seat in on the other side of Gary.

This woman had cold blue eyes, and looked at the students in the room like she was judging them. She turned to the black board at the front of the room, and wrote her name down with squeaky chalk.

"I am Miss Belle. I will be your teacher for the Instrumental classes this year. This class will focus on improving your skills as musicians in regard to your instrument or instruments of choice. I will work with each of you individually, but this class is also about learning to strengthen your performances in groups. Some of you strive to become solo artists; other's to perform in famous orchestras. It is the purpose of this school, and my purpose to help you achieve those dreams. Know that even though I may seem strict at times, I only do it to aid you in reaching your full potential."

She paused in her explanation, and abruptly stopped pacing when she stood in front of me.

"You." She said, talking to me. "I do not recognize you."

"I'm a transfer student." I said.

"I see. The staff were informed about you." She said judgingly. I didn't particularly like being called out like that.

"I am usually able to gouge a person's talent in their first year class, but you seem to have slipped through the cracks." She said. "No matter, you still need to be assessed. In order to ascertain your skill level, you will perform one piece of music by the end of class." She challenged. Truth be told, it didn't sound too hard.

"And, "she continued, "The piece will be chosen at random, by another student. You will learn this piece by the end of the period, and perform it with that student. This will tell me not only your skill level, but also how well you perform with others."

Now, I wasn't so sure. I had always been alone in my music. Learning a new piece in 45 minutes was one thing, but performing with a complete stranger, was another. _But,_ I thought stubbornly,_ I wasn't about to back down now_. Time to prove I did belong at this school, just like all these rich kids did.

"Yes Leaf?" Miss Belle said, causing me to turn and see that Leaf had her hand up.

"I volunteer." She stated, causing some quiet gasps to sound from the other students.

"You volunteer for what?" Miss Belle asked.

"I volunteer to perform with the new kid." She said defiantly. Between transfer student and new kid, I didn't think anyone here was going to bother learning my real name.

"Alright. You asked for this. Go pick a piece from the archives and be ready to perform by the end of class." Miss Belle said, before going back to addressing the rest of the students.

"Don't worry Paul, I'll take it easy on you." Leaf said, winking. I took my acoustic and followed her to the back of the room, up the step-like floor.

At the back of the room was a huge bookshelf stuffed with file folders.

"This is what we call the archives. It's filled with sheet music." Leaf explained as she started to scan them.

"Wow." I stated. The bookshelf was huge. A ladder was even needed to reach the very top of it.

"Here we are." Leaf stated as she pulled out a sheet.

"I've already memorized this song, so all you have to do is learn it. Think you can handle it?" she asked challengingly.

_Why did it seem like everyone here was trying to pick a fight with me? _I wondered to myself as I took the sheet music and scanned it. It wasn't that hard of a song, I had written more complicated than this.

_"_Give me ten minutes." I said as I walked to the corner of the room to practice, with Leaf flowing closely behind.

It only took me ten minutes to memorize the song, then twenty to get a feel for performing with Leaf. Half an hour later, we walked back up to the front of the class.

"Miss Belle?" Leaf asked, gaining her attention.

"Yes, what is it?" she said back.

"We're ready to perform." Leaf announced confidently.

"You still have ten minutes. You wouldn't want to rush yourselves." She said condescendingly.

"Paul says he's got it memorized, and I already know it off by heart." Leaf explained.

"Very well, you may begin when ready." She said. Leaf and I walked up to the center of the class, noticing that all eyes had turned to us.

"You ready?" Leaf asked. I nodded my head. She picked up her violin, and I sat down on a nearby stool, guitar in hand.

**(Safe and Sound, by Taylor Swift)**

_[Leaf]I remember tears streaming down your face_  
_When I said, I'll never let you go_  
_When all those shadows almost killed your light_  
_I remember you said, Don't leave me here alone_  
_But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight_

_Just close your eyes_  
_The sun is going down_  
_You'll be alright_  
_No one can hurt you now_  
_Come morning light_  
_You and I'll be safe and sound_

_Don't you dare look out your window darling_  
_Everything's on fire_  
_The war outside our door keeps raging on_  
_Hold onto this lullaby_  
_Even when the music's gone,_

_Gone_

_Just close your eyes_  
_The sun is going down_  
_You'll be alright_  
_No one can hurt you now_  
_Come morning light_  
_You and I'll be safe and sound_

_Just close your eyes_  
_You'll be alright_  
_Come morning light,_  
_You and I'll be safe and sound..._

Despite my initial reluctance to perform with another person, Leaf and I did a good job together. Her voice was perfect for the song, but it didn't overtake my guitar playing, giving our teacher a good idea of what my skill level was. This experience, it was new. Things were changing.

"Mr. Shinji," Miss Belle addressed me. "Are you self taught?" she asked.

"Mostly," I admitted, my thoughts briefly traveling to _her._

"Your abilities show it. They are raw, but I can see that your skill set is also about the same as those who are in this class. But somehow, the rawness of your talent gives your music a more, natural sound." I think she was complimenting me.

"I look forward to teaching you Paul." She said, smiling.

When we were let out of class, Leaf ran up from behind to walk beside me.

"Wow Paul, you must be something special to get Miss Belle to compliment you like that!" she said.

"She's one of the strictest teachers in school," Gary commented.

"What are your other classes?" Leaf asked. I pulled out my schedule and handed it to her. She skimmed it briefly.

"Oh Cool! We've got two more classes together." She said happily. _Why was she happy to be in another class with me?_

"And you've got the last two classes with me, lucky you Leafy." Gary said as he snaked his arm around her shoulders and looked over at her schedule.

"Ya know, I would never usually use a musical instrument as a weapon, but if you don't let go I may quickly reconsider." She threatened, holding up her violin case menacingly. Gary let go of her shoulder and held his hands up in a surrendering motion.

"Well, I've got to get to lunch. It was nice meeting you!" she yelled as she went off down another hall.

"Why is her lunch now?" I asked Gary.

"What program you're in determines your lunch period. Believe it or not, Leaf is actually in the art program, so her lunch period is earlier than ours."

"Then why does she take music?"

"Because she's great at it and she loves it. But that Leaf, she's multi-talented, and can never decide what she wants to focus on." Gary looked far away when he talked about her, completely the opposite of how he was flirting with her a few minutes ago. It was strange.

"Come on." He said, coming out of his daze. "We've got to get to history." He commented. We were silent for the rest of the walk to our next class.

* * *

**Dawn**

I was seriously considering taping my best friends mouth closed she was talking so much. She was mad, that was for sure, and as her best friend I should've been mad with her, but I found myself holding back giggles just thinking about it.

We had found our lockers at the start of the day, right next to each other as always. Then we went to first period, and it was fine, went to second period, they were still fine, but when it was time for third period, and May went to open her locker, everything was not fine.

I don't know how he managed to do it in such little time, but somehow May's locker was filled with ping pong balls. And when she opened her locker to get her stuff, well, the hallway became chaos. And we knew exactly who had done it, because amongst all the carnage, there was a single red rose. Drew's calling card. It was like a signature really, that one would leave on a work of art.

"I am seriously going to kill him this time Dawn, and don't even think of trying to stop me. And WHY ARE YOU STILL LAUGHING!? DAWN, THIS WAS NOT FUNNY!"

"Actually, it was a little funny," I said as a chuckled.

"Some best friend you are!" she huffed.

"Oh come one May, you'll get him back like you always do. You're just mad that Drew got the first prank in." I said.

"Maybe…" she conceded. "But he will pay, oh yes; I am going to make him suffer!"

"Don't you think your being a bit over-dramatic? I mean, May, he leaves you red roses whenever he does this, don't you think it's got a hidden meaning?" I asked.

"Don't start with me Dawn. Drew does not like me that way, nor I him. THIS rose is not a romance rose, it's a challenge rose. He's calling me out!" May rambled.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked.

"Dawn, Drew's sole purpose in life is to humiliate me, and prove he's the better pianist. Well, I'm just going to have to prove him wrong."

I sighed as I brushed off my white skinny jeans and pink sweater. I think the only reason she was so mad was because we were the ones forced to clean up the mess, making her late for her next class. I had a free period, so I thought I'd volunteer my help. May and Drew had met the year before. They were both here for piano, so they were in the same class, and a heated rivalry started. Eventually it evolved from just being better at the piano, and then their infamous prank war started. Honestly though, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that May was having a lot of fun pranking Drew, and even being pranked in return sometimes. She'd just never admit it. Neither of them would. But I had a feeling, that this war couldn't go on forever, and eventually someone would admit their feelings first. No matter how much May denied it, there were actual visible sparks between her and Drew. I just hoped that they settled things before they started a fire. And looking at the ping pong balls we'd had to clean up, that fire may not end up being figurative.

* * *

**Paul **

It was lunch now, and I got a text from Drew to meet him at the lockers. The first night I'd met the guys they all programmed their numbers into my phone, and now I was waiting. My phone buzzed in my pocket, so I fished it out.

_It's not safe for me in school. Meet me outside._

The text read. I was pondering what this could have meant when I saw a very angry looking girl stomp through the halls to stand by Drew's locker, aka, right beside me. She had on a jean skirt and a red shirt with a black vest. She wore a bright red bandanna and had brown hair framing her face. I assumed she was the reason Drew had gone into hiding, not that I really cared. Although if she killed him by the end of the day, I would need to get a new roommate.

I walked away from the angry girl, and headed outside. I spotted Drew sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey." I greeted.

"Did anyone follow you?" he asked seriously, like his life depended on it.

"No, but there was this really pissed off girl standing by your locker." I told him.

"Haha! Oh, good. But if she finds me I'm dead, so let's go get lunch. We can go to one of the restaurants on campus." I assumed he wanted to go there to get as much distance between him and the angry chick as possible. I followed none the less. I wasn't sure I wanted to get used to a new roommate when I was already sort of used to him.

There were three restaurants on campus, besides the cafeteria, which was called the dining hall and the lounge at each dorm. They were all pretty casual, each had a different theme. One was Italian food, one was a steak-house, and the last one looked like it served a bit of everything. We went to the last one to eat.

Drew, I had learned, was rich, like most of the kids who went to this school. Gary was the grandson of Professor Oak, a famous researcher of Pokémon, so he had money too. But Ash was on scholarship like me.

Apparently if you could find a job in the city, you were allowed to have one. This rule was for scholarship kids who may have to work for food money. I had worked all summer though at the local gym, so I had plenty of money for necessities like food. And Drew was rich, so everything he needed, he had the money to buy.

We were half way through our meal when the door slammed open rather loudly, revealing the very angry girl I had seen before. When her eyes landed on us, she started to march over to our table.

"Nice knowing you Drew." I said. Drew looked confused and turned around, meeting the girl's fiery gaze.

"Did you really think you could avoid me all day?" she asked.

"It was worth a shot." She slammed her hands down on the table.

"Drew Hayden, if there weren't so many witness's around I would snap your neck right here!"

"Oh come on April, you're taking this loss rather poorly."

"My NAME is MAY!" she yelled at him. "And I **will **get you back for this. I had to miss third period just to clean up the mess YOUR stupid prank left behind."

"You're just jealous that you didn't think of it first." Drew said, flipping his hair.

"Jealous!? In your dreams!"

"Please, any dream of mine you're in is a nightmare."

She grabbed the neck of his shirt. "I am SO going to kill you!"

"Yeah, good luck with that."

"My money's on her." I interjected.

"DUDE!?" Drew shouted, offended.

"Three words. Test. Of. Strength." I reminded him.

He immediately looked ashamed at that.

"Your friend's smart. Unlike you. Glad to see you haven't rubbed off on him." May smirked. "Hi, my name's May." She said, extending her hand. I shook it politely.

"Paul Shinji." I answered.

"Never side with the women Paul. You're my roommate; you're supposed to be on my side!" Drew said.

"What did you do anyway?" I asked, and May answered.

"He filled my locker with ping pong balls which flooded the hall when I opened it." She explained.

"Is that why you skipped 2nd period?" I asked.

"Hey, strike first or be stricken." Drew said.

"Well, there is a way you can repay me." May said, grabbing a chair and pulling it over to our table.

"And what's that?" Drew asked.

"You can buy me lunch. Do that and I won't tell Principal Cynthia that you skipped class to pull a stupid prank." She concluded.

Drew looked like he was about to argue, but kept his mouth shut. May had obviously won this round, I thought. She was a smart one. And it looked like when hanging out with Drew, I'd be seeing a lot more of her.

* * *

**Dawn**

It was finally the last class, and I'd been able to meet up with all the girls to walk to it. We all had the same class last period, Stage Performance. It was one of the only classes that all four of us had together, and that made it the best class of the day.

"Man, the first day always passes by the quickest." Leaf commented.

"Yeah, but the rest of the year passes by so slowly, and with so much work!" May whined. The first day, the teachers all told us what was expected of us, and May was not looking forward to all the homework.

"Oh yeah May, did you ever find Drew?" I asked, curious as to where she'd gone at lunch.

"Yup. He paid for my lunch." She said, smirking as she did so.

"Really? That doesn't sound like Drew." Misty commented. She was wearing blue boot-cut jeans and a loose yellow spaghetti strapped shirt.

"He didn't have much of a choice. He had to skip 2nd period to pull that prank, and I threatened to tell the Principal unless he did."

"Nice." Misty complimented, proud of May's manipulation skills.

"I ate with him and his new roommate. He's not bad actually, even if he is a little quiet."

"Drew's new roommate?" Misty asked. I was curious too, Drew's roommate had graduated last year.

"Yeah, he just transferred here. He's in the same grade as us." May said. That was surprising, for someone to transfer in their sophomore year. Usually people auditioned for the school freshman year.

"Oh, do you mean Paul?" Leaf chimed in.

"Yeah, how did you know?" May asked.

"He's in my Instrumental class. We performed together today actually." She said. "Now that I think about it, he's got this class with us too. You guy's will meet him there."

"Well, guess we'd better get moving then." I spoke up, trying to get a word in. It was strange that something happened around here and I didn't know about it. I was the school's Pop Princess, I knew everything that went around here. How did this new transfer student slip through without me knowing?

We made it to the class. It was a circular room that was made up of mostly seating that sloped down towards a stage in the center of the room. It reminded me a little of a movie theatre and college lecture hall combined. We walked down the stairs between the seats to the front row, closest to the stage.

"Oh man, I forgot." May whispered in frustration. "Drew's in this class too."

"Don't worry May. If you'd rather sit with your boyfriend instead of us, we won't mind." I joked with a smirk, watching as May's face turned bright red.

"Oh it's ON now!" she said before lunging at me. I quickly dodged and ran back up the stairs, out of her way. It was a good thing I had decided to wear my purple high-tops today instead of heals. I turned around and held up my hands in mock surrender.

"Sorry, sorry, please don't kill me!" I mock begged while still laughing. May had stopped her pursuit, but she was still glaring at me as she turned back around to head to her seat. I was about to follow, but I was still moving backwards. I backed up to the edge of the stairs and lost my balance. I started to fall backwards.

It's weird, when you fall and everything starts to feel like it's happening in slow motion. My foot hitting the stair, me losing my balance, starting to fall backwards. It all seemed like it happened very slowly. I registered what was happening and waited for the impact of the stairs to come.

But it never did.

Before I hit the hard stairs, something stopped my decent. A firm hand placed right in between my shoulder blades stopped me from falling, and gave me the opportunity to regain my balance and stand up straight. I turned around to the person who saved me.

"I-I'm so sorry!" I said, relieved to have been saved from falling on my ass in front of the whole class. I looked up at the guy who rescued me and all breath left my lungs.

I had never seen this person before. He was tall, taller than me, almost 6 feet I think, and he wore all black, except for his shirt which was grey. He had violet coloured hair which went to his chin, and tanned skin. He looked down at me, and I noticed that his eyes were this impossible black colour. They were so dark I couldn't even tell the difference between the iris and the pupil. And they were cold. They held no emotion in them, and they looked very closed off. Just looking into them made me feel sad, but not for myself.

"You should be more careful." He said. His voice was so serious, devoid of sentiment. He spoke like he was stating a fact and nothing more. I had never heard someone talk like that before. It was so strange. So foreign. I couldn't bring myself to say anything back.

"Shinji!" he turned his head to the person who called him, and I followed his gaze to see Gary waving at him from the back of the room. He was sitting with Ash and Drew, and they were calling this stranger over. Briskly, he walked past me, and I couldn't help but watch him go. He had a black guitar case strapped to his back, and he didn't look back at me. Not once.

I felt someone tug on my arm, bringing me out of staring at the stranger.

"Dawn, come on. Class is starting." May said.

Obediently, I followed her back to our seats. Our teacher, Mr. Fin came onto the stage and started talking. But I couldn't hear him. I knew all the words he was saying. He said things like, this class is to help you with your stage presence, and that it would be like a rehearsal class for all the in-school competitions we performed in. This was stuff I knew already, but I didn't register the words in my mind. I turned my head back to look at the guys.

The stranger was sitting there with Gary and the others, paying attention to the teacher's words. I couldn't help but stare. I couldn't get a feel for this new student. Usually I could read people pretty well, but when I tried with him it was like I was looking at a blank page. He was so closed off to the world around him, so serious about every little thing. The same question rolled around in my mind as I stared at him, without an answer to go with it.

_Who are you?_

**A/N: TA DA! Were you expecting a meeting like that!? I had fun writing this chapter, even if it was a little long. But come one! First day of school, a lot happens! Also, if you noticed, good for you, but if not, I named their Stage Performance teacher Mr. Fin in memory of Cory Monteith's character Fin Hudson on Glee. Everyone should remember him in their own way, and this is my way of paying respect to him. Hope you liked the chapter!**


	7. Stop Talking

**A/N: Time for some actual conversation between the main characters of the story. This chapter may not be what you were expecting, but I hope you find it enjoyable none-the-less. Also thank you to everyone who reviewed, I am now up to 30 reviews for this story! I'm very happy about that!**

Chapter 7: Stop Talking

**Dawn**

The first few days of school had come and gone. My friends and I had just started to settle back into school life as the week came to an end. It was Friday already, and that meant the weekend was tomorrow. But honestly, I hadn't thought about any of that. My mind was stuck on one person and one person only.

Paul Shinji.

We'd officially met the first day of school, last period, when he'd saved me from falling back onto the stairs. And ever since then I couldn't stop thinking about him. He was just so….different. I hadn't realized how different until after class that day

* * *

_(Flashback)_

_The final bell rung loud and clear through the school, signaling the end of the day. While everyone else was packing up their belongings to leave, I was already rushing out the door. My sight was set on the group of four guys who were headed down the hallway._

_"Drew!" I called out, causing them all to turn._

_"Hey Dawn. What's up?"Drew asked._

_"Um, I just, I haven't seen you today, that's all." I panicked_ _and said the first thing that came to mind._

_"Um, we had science together, third period remember?"_

_"Oh, yeah, I just meant since May found you. I'm surprised you're still alive after that."_

_"Well, I appreciate the concern, but May's not THAT terrifying."_

_I heard a scoff beside him and looked at the violet haired stranger. He wasn't looking at me, but just being close to him, it made my curiosity itch on my skin._

_"Hey, are you going to introduce me to your new friend?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant, even though I was anything but._

_"Oh yeah, guess you guys haven't officially been introduced yet have you?"He asked as he looked between the two of us._

_"Dawn this is Paul Shinji, he's my new roommate. Paul, this is Dawn Berlitz."_

_The stranger than looked at me. His cold black eyes burrowing into my dark blue ones._

_"Hey." Was all he said. In the same monotone voice he had spoken in before. His voice was cold, but it was also smooth, like the surface of a frozen lake._

_"Hi."I said, trying to sound happy. But it was hard when talking to him. His face was a mask. It was like he'd built a wall around himself that no one could see past._

_"Hey Dawn, hope you don't mind, but the guys and us have plans so…" Drew trailed off, inferring that they needed to get going._

_"Oh, right. See you guys later."I said as they started to walk away._

_"Paul." I felt his name form on my lips before I could stop it. He paused and turned back around._

_"Thanks for earlier."I said timidly. And I was never one to speak timidly._

_All he did was nod his head in my direction, and then continued walking. I just stood there in the middle of the hall, letting the random students pass me by. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I knew I'd never felt this way before. I was the type of person who always knew what was going on. I knew everyone in school, even all the freshman. But for the first time ever, there was someone I didn't know, and I got the feeling that even trying to get to know him wouldn't be easy. I didn't know why, but as soon as I saw that wall Paul put up, I really wanted to see behind it. And when I wanted something, I usually found a way to make it mine._

* * *

Ever since then, I had tried to push my curiosity to the back of my mind, but **he** just seemed to be everywhere. I hadn't realized it on the first day, but we actually had two other classes together besides Stage Performance. I really hadn't expected him walking into my first period English class, or see him sitting there in my fifth period Math class either. Besides his name, I didn't know anything about him. And that bothered me.

"Hey Dawn." May called, getting my attention.

"What is it?"

"You were staring off into space again. You've been doing that a lot this week." She said sounding worried.

"Sorry." I mumbled. We were in Stage Performance on the first Friday of the school year, and everyone was waiting for the bell to ring so that we could enjoy the weekend.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No, nothing's wrong. It's just…" I couldn't stop my eyes from traveling to the back of the class to where the guys were sitting.

"It's just the new kid isn't it?" May and I heard Leaf chime in from beside us. She didn't look up as she spoke because she was reading a book.

"What makes you think that!?" I struggled not to shout. She was making it seem different than it was.

"Don't play innocent D. I know you've been asking around about him. And I also know that you haven't found anything out or you wouldn't be getting so flustered." Leaf explained. Damn she was good. It's like she was reading my thoughts along with that book.

"Why do you want to know about Paul? You like him or something?" May smirked, getting a little revenge for my teasing about Drew.

"Don't be silly May, I barely know him. And that's the problem." I said. Now I had gotten Misty's attention on the argument too.

"Why do you need to know him?" Misty asked in an exasperated tone; like she already knew what my answer was.

"Because I know everyone! That's just who I am. But for some reason, no one knows anything about the new transfer student besides his name." I said disappointingly.

"Dawn, why do you have to know everything about everyone? It's not that big of a deal is it?" Leaf asked.

"It is a big deal. I'm Pop Princess for a reason. Winning the Showcase last year makes me the school representative, and that means I need to know the whole school inside and out." I reasoned. And it wasn't untrue. I just wasn't sure if it was the entire reason. Something about the new kid just bothered me I guess.

"Don't you think that's a bit controlling?" Leaf asked.

"It's not controlling! Look, you and May have met him before right. You can help me out!"

"You mean like spy on him? I don't know Dawn, that doesn't sound right." May said.

"Yeah, and Paul is an okay guy. Whatever reasons you have for wanting to get to know him, you should do it yourself." Leaf said.

The bell rang before I could respond. Why was Leaf acting this way? It was almost like she was defending him. And it wasn't like my friends to go against my word like that. Well, maybe what I asked for did sound a little sketchy, but maybe I could convince them another way.

"You don't have to spy on him, but maybe you could help set up a situation where we'd all meet up. Then I could get the information myself." I reasoned, following behind them as they walked down the halls.

"I still don't understand why you need to know. Can't you just live with not knowing every intimate detail about one person in the school?" Leaf asked, getting annoyed.

"Oh come on! Help me out please! As your best friend?" I asked, pulling out the pouty face. Leaf started to waver under its power

"If we run into him, then maybe, JUST MAYBE, I'll help. But I'm not going to go out of my way so you can get to know him." Leaf said as she continued walking.

I smiled to myself and followed behind.

Paul Shinji would soon be a mystery no more!

* * *

**Paul**

The wind on my face felt nice as we boarded. The world went by so fast, but I didn't mind at all. The guys and I were skating down to the park apparently. Now that class was over for the week, they'd been adamant about showing me the local skate-park, and I didn't oppose the idea.

There were still so many things about this city that I wasn't used to yet. The buildings, the people, everything still seemed so loud to me. It was going to take more than a week to get used to it.

But there were things I had gotten used to. The people I hung out with for starters. Despite Drew's arrogance and Gary's player tendencies, they turned out to be pretty alright. Ash and I were like polar opposites though. He just always seemed to be happy and outgoing. But somehow, I didn't get on his nerves with my icy attitude. Well, that made one of us. It wasn't that he was a bad guy; he was just so over the top sometimes that it got really annoying. But who knows? Maybe I would get used to it.

We made it to the park. It wasn't very far from the school. It was located right on the edge of the neighborhood where we lived. You could hear the sounds of downtown Hearthome even from here.

The skate-park was mostly made of concrete. It had rails and ramps of all different shapes and sizes. This was a place where I was comfortable.

I wore my usual clothes. Black jeans, black shirt, black hoodie. Everyone else was dressed more colorfully than me. The guys all wore jeans, but they were blue. Drew wore a purple, plaid button-down shirt over a white t-shirt. Gary wore a grey long sleeved shirt pushed up to his elbows. Ash wore a red shirt with white sleeves and a white hood. They all looked like completely normal people, yet they went to one of the top music schools in the world.

I had learned what they were all studying throughout the week. Gary, like me, played guitar, but he also played base, violin, and the cello. Ash on the other hand was hear for drums, and Drew, as I had learned on the first day, was here for piano. They were all music majors like me, so at least we had that in common.

"Hey Shinji," Gary called. "Show us what you can do." He challenged. He liked to do that.

I started off simply. Grinding was something I had gotten pretty good at, so I ground a few rails to start. I landed on the board every time. Then I moved to the ramps. Catching air was hard if you didn't know what you were doing, but I did. Skating back between the ramps to build up momentum, I went up the quarter pipe and flipped the board from under me. The board flipped 180 degrees underneath my feet, before I landed on it and skated back down the ramp. There were few things I loved in the world, and even fewer things that made me happy. But skateboarding just happened to be both. It made me feel in control.

"Not bad man, but let me show you how it's done." Gary said. One of the things that he and Drew had in common was their overconfidence.

For a few hours we skateboarded, seeing who could top the others when it came to tricks. Ash was obviously the least experienced skater because he wiped out a few times, but nothing serious. Around 6:00pm Ash spoke up.

"Guys, I'm dying here. Can we please go get some food?" Ash whined, Pikachu jumping up on his shoulder.

"How is that possible? You've been eating pavement for the last two hours." Gary laughed.

"Ha ha ha, you're hilarious. Now PLEASE! Before my stomach starts to digest itself!"

"I'm pretty sure you'll survive." Drew said.

"Didn't you eat like, right before we left?"I asked.

"That was like two hours ago. If I don't eat on an hourly basis, I could die!"

"Now you're just being over dramatic." Gary said, hitting Ash upside the head.

"You can't blame me for having a fast metabolism!" Ash defended.

"Come on!" Drew interjected. "Feeding him will put a stop the whining." Drew said as he started to skate up the street. We followed suit, headed in the direction of the school.

We stopped at Bella Musica, the Italian restaurant on campus. We didn't care as much about which restaurant we went to as much as how fast we could get Ash to stop whining about his hunger.

"Finally!" Ash yelled as he ran towards the door.

_Man, I just didn't understand this guy._

Before he could make it through the door though, a girl came up behind him and took hold of the hood on his shirt, nearly choking him in the process.

She was wearing a navy blue and white stripped tank top under a cerulean blue hoodie, jean shorts and white running shoes. She had bright orange hair and blue-green eyes, and she did not look pleased.

"Oh, hey Misty." Ash greeted.

"Seriously, you can't even walk into a restaurant safely. If I hadn't stopped you, you could have hurt someone, namely yourself." She scolded.

All Ash did was rub the back of his neck and smile at her though. Another person I would no doubt be introduced to. Drew, Gary and I walked up to the two friends.

"Hey Paul, I don't think you've met Misty yet."

"Hey." I said, rather uninterested.

"So you're Paul. I've heard about you from Ash and Leaf. Nice to finally meet you." She said. I was slightly surprised that those two had talked about me, but I guess my presence here was pretty big news.

"Misty!" Someone called from far behind her. We turned to see three girls walking up the path to the restaurant, all of whom I knew.

Leaf I recognized first, she was wearing black skinny jeans and a maroon, spaghetti strap shirt with black high-tops. May was next; she wore light-washed overalls with a white blouse under it. She also wore red flats and her usual bandanna. Dawn I saw last, she wore a purple sundress and a white jean jacket with black ballet flats. Leaf, May and Dawn walked up to stand behind Misty, noticing our presence right away.

"Drew." May said.

"June." Drew said, smirking.

"IT'S MAY!" she shouted back. He really loved to get on her nerves.

"You guys getting dinner too?" Leaf asked.

"It was either that or listen to Ash complain about starving to death." Gary explained.

It was fast, but I noticed Dawn elbow Leaf in the stomach, ever so slightly.

"Well, since we're all here at the same time, want to eat together?" Leaf asked. I noticed her happy tone sounded a bit forced. May looked like she couldn't believe the words coming out of Leaf's mouth.

"Can't get enough of me can you Leaf? Can't say I blame you though." Gary said, snaking his arm around Leaf's shoulder again. All she did was role her eyes.

"Sure, why not. Gives me an excuse to make fun of January some more." Drew said, walking past everyone to enter the restaurant. I followed close behind, not really caring whether they joined us or not. As long as we got to eat.

We connected two tables so that all eight of us had somewhere to sit. The waitress came and took our orders, and I noticed the seemingly invisible tension that surrounded the table.

May and Drew were glaring at each other from across the table. Leaf was trying her best to ignore Gary's attempts at flirting, but that looked like it was proving to be tough. Misty and Ash were the only ones having a friendly conversation, and from what I'd heard, Misty was a dance major but also played drums. Meanwhile, Dawn was being quiet, just like I was.

During the week I had learned more about the school's beloved 'Pop Princess' than I had cared to. In her freshman year, she had won the Hearthome Showcase, a feat never before accomplished in the history of HPA Academy. She was also apparently the most popular girl in school, and claimed to know everyone. I must have been the only person in the whole school who was thoroughly unimpressed by her.

All she was was a pop star. Her song at the welcome assembly was incredibly shallow in message and sound. It wasn't even her singing that set me off; it was the meaningless lyrics and predictable tune. No originality had gone into that song whatsoever. It was a cheap commercial recording that could be easily forgotten. Maybe I was being harsh, but it was also the truth. I didn't know this girl with the midnight blue hair sitting across from me, all I knew was music.

"So Paul," Leaf said, still ignoring Gary, "Are you used to Hearthome yet?"

"Not really." I responded. It was going to take some time before I got used to this place.

"Well, give it time. It always takes a while for everyone to get used to it." She reassured me.

Our meals came, which cut most of the conversation because we were preoccupied with eating. Ash basically inhaled his meal, while Misty tried to make sure he didn't choke.

"Hey Paul," I looked up at the unfamiliar voice. I realized it was Dawn talking, but it was strange because she'd barely spoken all night.

"Where are you from?" she asked.

"Veilstone City." I answered, turning back to my food.

"So you're actually from Sinnoh like Dawn." Ash pointed out. "Now that I think about it, isn't half our table from Kanto?"

"Congrats Ash, you've mastered basic Math." Gary chided, causing Ash to flick him in the forehead.

"Ash is right. He, Gary, Misty and I are all from Kanto." Leaf informed.

"But we didn't always know each other." Misty pointed out. "I mean you knew Gary for like seven year's total, six before you moved and then last year. And you and I have both known Ash for five years. Then we all became friends when we came to this school."

"Ach, my head hurts!" Ash said.

"It's not that complicated." Misty said.

"I wasn't talking about the conversation, I just chugged my drink too fast!" Ash yelled, rubbing his temples with his fingers.

"So, you're a transfer student right?" Dawn asked, directing her attention back at me.

"Yeah." I answered. _Why did she want to know?_

"So are you the same age as us?"

"Probably."

"Are you fifteen?"

"Yes."

"What major are you in?"

"Music."

"Dawn-" Leaf tried to interject.

"Do you play an instrument?" Dawn ignored her and continued with her game of 20 questions.

"Yes."

"Which one?"

"Guitar?"

"Electric or Acoustic?"

"Both."

"Do you have a job?"

"Currently, no." _Since when is that any of your business?_ I wanted to say.

"Are you an only child?"

"No."

"How many siblings do you have?"

"One." She was starting to get on my nerves. _Was she always this nosy, or was she being rude on purpose?_

"Brother or sister?"

"Brother." She asked. She seemed to be getting more irritated with each question she asked. Well that made two of us.

"What about your parents?"

I flinched a bit when she asked that one.

"Pass."

"Do you ever give answers that are more than two words?" She asked, clearly frustrated.

"That depends."

"On what?"

"On whether you ever stop talking."

It was like the whole restaurant froze with those six words. The look on the Pop Princesses face was of sheer shock, like she couldn't believe I had just said what I said. Well she may have been royalty here, but I sincerely didn't care. I refused to bend to her whim just because of her accomplishments. She had no right to ask me about my life when she barely knew me. She may have been royalty here, but to me, she was nothing but an annoying girl who caused trouble.

"W-what….y-you….." she was speechless, but her face said everything her voice couldn't get out. She was angry. Her face was flushed with rage, like I'd committed a crime when I talked to her that way. Her attitude was really starting to bug me. She had no right to act better than anyone else, especially with a pathetic superficial song like hers.

"Dawn." Leaf spoke, gaining the attention of the whole table. Dawn looked at the brunette girl sitting beside her.

"Let it go." Leaf said seriously. Dawn's eyes widened with those three words.

"Y-You're….You're taking his side!? Did you hear-?"

"What Paul said might not have been nice, but what you were doing wasn't very polite either."

"But-"

"He's been here less than a week, and you just badgered him with a bunch of questions. It was like you were interrogating him or something. Just let it go." Leaf concluded, barely letting Dawn get a word in.

Dawn just slumped back down in her seat, staring with unbelieving eyes at the green-eyed girl. I decided that whatever was going on here, I didn't want any part of it.

I took out my wallet and put down the money for my meal. I started to walk away from the table.

"Paul!" Drew called. He looked like he was about to get up.

"See you back at the dorm." I said, and then continued walking out of the doors of Bella Musica.

* * *

**Dawn**

We all finished our dinner and then paid the check. We said our goodbye's to the guys and then started to head back to the dorm. I walked slightly behind the girls thinking about what happened at dinner. I thought about it for a long time until I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Why did you do that!?" I yelled, directing my question at Leaf. May and Misty turned back around, looking worried, but Leaf didn't. She just stood there with her back turned to me,

"Why did you tell me to let it go? Why did you take Paul's side, you barely know him!" I stomped my foot on the ground. I didn't care if I looked like a child having a tantrum, I was mad and I wanted answers.

Leaf turned to face me then, looking very disappointed and a little mad.

"You should know. Or did you forget all those years ago when **I** was the new kid in town?" Leaf said.

The anger in me instantly deflated like a balloon, leaving me feeling empty and guilty.

"What came over you back there? Is it really so important that you keep track of everyone at school that you're going around demanding information now? Is that how desperate you are to keep your title?" Leaf asked.

"No, that's not-" I couldn't finish my sentence.

It's true that I was popular, and over the past year, learning everything I could about all the students had become more and more important to me. Because I'd wanted to know what my competition was. I'd worked so hard to get where I was, so keeping track of the competition helped me to feel prepared when I competed against them. Knowledge made me feel like I was in control. But, when had being in control become so important to me?

I really didn't know what happened to me back there. Every time I asked a question and Paul gave me a one word answer, I just felt myself getting more and more frustrated. He was something that was out of my control, and that scared me. And then when he'd insulted me, I'd just lost it. After everything I had done, everyone here respected me, but he didn't. I was insulted, and angry. He had just been so RUDE!

But I knew what Leaf was saying too. She knew how hard it was to be the new girl in town. Moving to Twinleaf when she was ten had been really hard for her, so of course she would sympathize with Paul. I can't believe I had forgotten that.

"I'm sorry." I said. And I was. I hadn't meant to hurt her. I would never hurt her on purpose. She walked up to stand in front of me.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." She said.

I looked her in the eyes, ashamed of the way I had acted. It was true; I did owe Paul an apology. I nodded at Leaf, letting her know that I understood. Leaf's face softened, and she let out a very deep breath, calming herself.

"Good, now everything's forgiven." May chimed in.

"Crisis averted. Now let's head back to the dorm. Leaf, you promised to help me with my new dance routine." Misty said as she walked ahead with May.

"I know." Leaf said, catching up with me beside her.

I continued to think about dinner as I walked. Yeah, I had acted way out of line, but Paul hadn't acted any better. It was possible that I set him off with my questions, but that was no excuse to talk to someone so rudely! I made my decision as I caught up to my friends.

Yes, I would apologize to Paul for the way I had acted, but I knew I wouldn't be forgetting what he said to me anytime soon. One thing was for certain.

I did not like Paul Shinji. Not one little bit.

**A/N: I know you guys were kind of hoping for some more fluff from your reviews, but I wanted to be a bit more realistic in their relationship when stating off. They didn't like each other in the anime, so I wanted to start off with that dynamic and then grow from there. Also, if Dawn seems really spoiled and conceited, I did that on purpose to show the fame of winning going to her head. Don't worry, she won't stay like that forever. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	8. Bonds and Grudges

**A/N: Hey guys! I've got some news regarding the updates my stories are going to get within the next few weeks. At the end of the month, I am going on a big trip to the other side of the world, and I'm going to be staying there for 5 months. Now what does this mean for my stories? Well, I'll tell you. Over the next three weeks I'm going to be getting ready for the trip almost every day, so I'm not going to have as much time to write, but I am determined not to leave you guys hanging. **

**I have gotten so many reviews from people who absolutely love this story, and every time I read them, it fills my heart with joy. I never could have imagined that this story would be so liked, and I am grateful to everyone who reviewed. That said, I really don't want to put off writing, even if it is to get ready for my trip, so for the next 3-4 weeks, I'm only going to update on Monday's. Now at the end of the month, when I go on my trip, I'm going to be dealing with some major jet lag, and a huge time difference. So if I ever update at like, 4 in the morning, its because where I am it'll be like 4 in the afternoon. It'll take me some time to plan out when to update so you guys will get to read it at normal hours.**

**I am not going to take a break from writing just because I'm in a different country. I will be keeping busy doing things when I'm on my trip, but I promise I will take the time to write, and keep updating. I don't want to let you guys down! Okay, that was a long note today, so I won't keep you waiting any longer. Onward to chapter 8!**

Chapter 8: Bonds and Grudges

**Paul**

I pretty much avoided having company all of Saturday. Dinner the night before had put me in a bad mood, and truthfully I just wanted to be alone.

Maybe I had been lulled into a false sense of security when I'd met Drew, Gary and Ash. They hadn't asked me questions that were too overly personal, and I was glad for it. They didn't pry or demand to know information about me that I wasn't willing to share, so I'd assumed that either they didn't care that much or they were just respecting my privacy. It felt nice to just be accepted for a while without being examined like a specimen in a lab.

This brings me to what I had expected to happen when I transferred here. Acceptance, or in this case the lack there of.

These people came from a different world than I did. They were pampered, rich, and they had standards set for them. I was different, which is something that I realized quickly that everyone would notice. Drew, Gary and Ash, they noticed they just didn't care. But the cross-examination I got from that girl last night had awoken my original concerns. That I wouldn't be accepted here and that I wouldn't belong. I have never worried about fitting in or having friends, but no one ever questioned before whether I belonged anywhere or not. But that girl, she'd just confirmed my suspicions. That people would demand information about me that I wasn't ready to share and that would make me an outcast. Not that I cared about being by myself, it was more about proving my talents despite what I'd been through and where I came from. That would prove to be difficult if the whole school turned against me.

Maybe I was just over thinking things. A part from that annoying girl, no one else at this school seemed overly interested in my back-story. A small part of me hoped it was just her.

I got up from my bed and grabbed my skateboard. Drew had invited me earlier to go hang out with him, Gary and Ash, but I had declined. I needed time to think this through.

I headed out into the living room, knowing Drew wasn't going to be there. I exited the room, key card and board in hand, and rode the elevator down.

I just needed to clear my head for a bit. Skateboarding was usually a good way to do that, so I started north. I felt the world fade away as I concentrated. I didn't particularly care where I was going; I just wanted to feel the wind on my face. I wore my usual all black outfit, which was one thing I learned that set me apart from the crowd.

_Everyone here was so colorful_, I thought to myself, _so open and creative_. There were so many differences between me and the people of HPA academy.

The familiar doubts started to cloud my head.

_Was this all a mistake? Would I ever get the chance to prove myself in a place like this? Would the guys start asking questions now that that Dawn girl had brought them up? Could I answer them?_

No, I knew I couldn't. Maybe it would just be better, easier to be on my own again. Shove away everyone else, never letting them get close. That was the way things had been for a long time. To think that would change here was just a dream.

"Paul?" I heard someone say. I flinched a bit, afraid that it might be one of the guys, but it was a female voice. I looked behind me in the direction the voice had come from, and met spring green eyes.

"Leaf." I said. I had stopped boarding and stood still, staring at the girl who had defended me last night against her friend.

She wore an emerald green silk blouse and blue skinny jeans. She was about to mount a blue bicycle, but had stopped when she saw me. She smiled and walked towards me.

"Where you headed?" she asked. I didn't really have an answer for her.

"Don't know." Was all I said, and it was true. All I had wanted to do was clear my head, but I wasn't really going anywhere. She closed her eyes and looked like she was thinking about something, then she nodded to herself and looked back at me.

"Hey, if you're not busy right now, can I ask you something?"

* * *

The next thing I knew I was boarding downtown, with Leaf riding her bike right next to me. Why she'd asked me to come with her she didn't say. All she said was that she wanted to show me something.

On Saturday, downtown Hearthome was crowded with people, so we rode on the streets. The cars were basically always at a stand-still in Hearthome, so we weren't too worried about getting hit by cars. Leaf directed our journey, motioning and trying to yell over the sounds of traffic where to go next. After a while we got past the crowded main streets and headed onto the slightly less crowded side streets.

These streets didn't have cars driving on them all that often, as they looked like a sort of shopping district. There were store-fronts all lined up with people carrying shopping bags walking up and down the side-walks. _Arceus, I hope she didn't bring me here to go shopping._

"It's just a little further. Turn right up ahead." She instructed.

We turned right, around the corner and onto an even emptier street than the last. This one had barely any people on it, and no cars were parked on it. There was graffiti on the building walls and trash littering the sidewalks.

I vaguely wondered if I had misjudged this Leaf girl, as this seemed like a pretty sketchy neighborhood. She just seemed so nice though, so I wasn't ready to pass judgment just yet. She stopped her bike ahead of me in front of a storefront that had a black sign with blurry words written on it. The paint had been smudged, but I could make out the letters on the sign. It read 'House of Sound' in streaked white block letters. Leaf locked up her bike to a nearby stand.

"Come on. I have a feeling you'll like this store." She said, leading me in to the shop.

The glass door swung open to reveal a black and grey painted room. It was obviously a music store given the name and the merchandise. It wasn't very organized, what with piles of CD's just being stacked beside the racks, but it had a very lived-in feeling. Leaf walked over to the racks and started to flip through the music. I browsed around the store a bit more. It wasn't a small space, but it wasn't large either. It was medium sized room, but it had an awful lot of stuff crammed into it, making it feel smaller than it was. I picked up a large square folder on one of the racks.

"They even have vinyl here." I thought out loud.

"Yeah, they pretty much have everything here. A group of us discovered this place freshman year when we were exploring. It may be kind of grungy, but believe me, it's the best music store in the city." Leaf explained, walking up behind me. "I've checked."

We browsed around the store some more, and Leaf wasn't lying, they really did have everything. They had vinyl records, cassette tapes, CD's, and music of all genres. I saw stuff from as old as classical, to stuff released this past summer.

"Come on. You haven't even seen the best part!" Leaf said, pulling me along by the arm of my hoodie. She led me to a hallway that connected to another bigger room, which was also a part of the store. It was lined with instruments.

They had a lot of different guitars, ranging from classic to electric. They also had a few drum sets, and some amps for sale as well. Every instrument came in different colours, making a stark contrast to the black and grey walls. Like a rainbow after a thunder storm.

There was a man sitting behind a glass counter who looked up when we approached.

"Hi there, can I buy this?" Leaf asked, holding up a CD that looked like Three Days Grace. Not that I knew Leaf that well, but I was a bit surprised. She didn't seem like the kind of girl who listened to that kind of rock music.

"Yeah, no problem." Said the guy behind the counter. He had a black Mohawk tipped with red and a lip piercing. He wore a black shirt with a skull design it. He looked like a hard core punk fan, but he acted pretty nice. Not that I was judging, his attitude just didn't really match his look.

"Can I also get….." she was looking down at the glass counter, which held inside it an array of guitar picks and straps, along with other instrument accessories.

"That guitar pick?" she said, pointing to a lime green pick that had a white heart with wings design on it.

"Yeah, of course ." Said the guy behind the counter, whose name-tag said his name was Terry.

"You really like the colour green don't you?" I asked, noting her shirt.

"Yeah, it's my favorite colour! You see anything you like yet?" she asked.

I looked down at the glass case. They certainly had a big collection of pick and such. I'd have to come back with my wallet. One bad habit I'd never been able to kick was losing all my guitar picks. I would always end up putting them down somewhere and then forgetting about them. I looked over to the straps. I had been meaning to get a new one for my electric as it was getting pretty worn. One was plain black with a silver barbed wire design crisscrossing back and forth on it. That might be a contender….

"Can I also get that strap please?" she asked Terry before I knew what was happening.

She had been pointing to the strap I was looking at. She paid for her purchases, then took them in a bag and led me outside again.

"Here," Leaf said, fishing the strap I'd been looking at out of her bag and holding it out to me.

"Why did you do that?" I asked. Was she taking pity on me? Cause if she was, I would not be hanging out with her again. I hated when people felt sorry for me.

"I saw you looking at it. Come on, take it." She said smiling, like she was doing me a favor. I looked away from her.

"I don't need your pity." I said. I was about to get on my board and skate away, but she grabbed my arm.

"Hey, this isn't a pity gift, it's a peace offering!" she exclaimed, holding onto my arm firmly.

"I don't understand." I said back.

"For yesterday. I don't blame you for being mad. Gary and the other guys were telling me earlier today that you hadn't talked to anyone since last night." She explained.

_They told her that? _I thought.

"That's why I wanted to show you this place. I thought it would cheer you up!" she said, smiling up at me innocently. Was that all this was?

"But why?" I asked again. Why would she do this for me? She didn't even know me that well. Why was she worried?

"How about I explain over lunch? I'll buy." She offered, unlocking her bike. She walked it up beside me.

"Will you please take this?" she asked, holding out the guitar strap again. "I didn't mean to make you think I was taking pity on you. I just bought it 'cause I saw you staring at it is all. I thought it'd make you happy." I didn't get this girl. Why was she being so nice to me? I looked down at the strap in her hand. I didn't think she was lying to me. I took the strap from her and shoved it into the pocket of my black hoodie.

"Come on, let's go!" she said as she started to peddle away. I followed on my skateboard.

She led me to a food truck that was set up outside of Amity Square. It was called the "Blue Mew" and it sold sandwiches. Leaf paid for us both, and we went to sit on a bench to eat.

"So, what's this about?" I asked, curiosity burning in my brain.

"Wow, you don't waste any time do you?" she said, taking a bite of her sandwich after.

I silently waited for her explanation while she ate.

"So, what do you want to know?" she asked.

"I want to know why you're being so nice to me. Why do you care about what happens to me when you don't even know me?"

She smiled sadly at me before turning her head to look straight ahead.

"You want to know why." She said, biting her sandwich again. She swallowed and put it down, holding it in her hands.

"I guess, I care because I can relate to you….. A bit." She said vaguely, eyes looking forward.

"How's that?" I asked.

"Because I know what it's like to be new." She said. A memory triggered in my mind, to the day I first met this girl. The first day of school in Instrumental class.

_"Hey there, I don't think we've met before. Are you new?" she asked._

_"Yeah."_

_"I know that feeling. Sucks, doesn't it?"_

"It happened a long time ago. But it still stays with me, even now." She said.

"I was only ten when I moved to Sinnoh. And it was so far away, it was like I'd gone and went to a different planet when I came from Kanto. It was just so different here…." She stopped.

"**I **was so different here." She looked far away when she spoke, like she was living the memory while she was talking about it.

"Everyone thought I was weird when I first moved here. I dressed different, my name was different, my Pokémon was different. They rejected me before they even knew me because they didn't understand. It was a very lonely time for me." She said. I hung on her every word, seeing the similarities in our stories as she spoke.

"I guess, that's why I cared so much. I knew what you must have been feeling because I already went through it. I sympathized with you." She said. I looked away, letting the new information sink in. This girl knew nothing about my back story or my heritage but, she still found a way to relate to me. I leaned back against the bench.

"So, now that I've answered your question, do you mind if I ask one?" she asked. I froze a bit at this, hoping that she wouldn't pry like her friend did.

"What do you think of Drew, Gary and Ash?" she asked. I don't know what I expected her to ask, but I sure wasn't expecting that.

"They're fine, why?" I asked.

"It's just…. I noticed that you act kind of unsure around them. I get the feeling that you haven't had many friends before."

"I never needed them." I responded quickly. How was this girl reading stuff about me so easily?

"Right. But now you have them." She stated.

"I don't know if I'd call them friends yet." I said. I was still unsure whether keeping them around was the best idea. I didn't want them asking questions.

"Well, I'm afraid your too late." She said, going back to eating her sandwich.

"Huh?"

"Drew, Gary and Ash might seem like popular guys, but at the end of the day, it's always just been the three of them. And now, they've accepted you into the group. Which might not seem like a big deal, but believe me, it is. Whether you like it or not, those guys are your friends now, plain and simple. There's just no fighting them once they've made up their minds." She finished her sentence, and her sandwich, throwing out the wrapper in a nearby trashcan.

"Mmph."

"Paul, you're not concerned that what happened with Dawn is going to happen with them are you?"

"Stop doing that."

"Stop doing what?"

"Reading my mind, it's annoying." Leaf laughed at that.

"Paul, that's not going to happen. The guys like you, they're not going to pry into your life." She looked sad for a moment.

"Paul, please don't be mad at Dawn." She said. I looked over at her with confusion written on my face.

"What happened last night, that wasn't her. I don't know what came over her, but I promise you she isn't really like that. The Dawn I know is sweet and kind." She looked like she was thinking about something, then spoke again.

"You know, it was thanks to Dawn that I got through being the new girl."

"Really?" I said, having a hard time believing that.

"She didn't care that I was different. She was one of my first friends in Sinnoh, and if it weren't for her, I don't even know if I'd have ever come to this school. But things changed when we came to Hearthome. Dawn just got so serious; she wanted to win and become a singer so badly. I just think, that some of the fame went to her head a bit. But she isn't really like that, honest." Leaf explained.

I thought it over a bit. It wasn't that I didn't trust Leaf, it was just that I had a hard time believing what she was saying. The girl I had seen last night was spoiled and controlling, but I didn't really have anything to compare it to. If I ever saw this 'sweet and kind' side Leaf claimed existed, then maybe I could forgive her.

"You know, I'm so used to being the good listener in my group of friends, it's kind of nice to have someone listen to me for once." She said smiling. "So thanks Paul, for listening to me."

"It's fine." I said. I was still having trouble contemplating what Leaf told me. Could I really believe that everything would be okay? Could I believe her about the guys?

"You know, I think I get why the guys wanted to be friends with you. You may not talk a lot, but your serious nature kind of grounds them." Leaf said. "You're like the mature big brother of the group."

"Yeah right. I wouldn't know how to be, I was the younger brother in my family."

"Well, you'll get lots of practice if you start hanging out with us. The guys can be pretty immature at times. You've got them, and now you've got me!"

"And what are you?"

"I've decided. You and I are going to be friends now, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"What makes you think I want to be friends with you?"

"I'm levelheaded, I play guitar, and I'm excellent company."

"Don't forget modest." I added sarcastically.

"Oh ha ha! You know, I'm an only child, but I've always wanted an older sibling.

"Where are you going with this?"

"Why whatever do you mean bro?"

"Do not call me that."

"Make me!" she said, running up to her bike. All I did was role my eyes as I followed after her on my skateboard. After hanging out with Leaf for the afternoon, I was starting to feel better. All those pathetic doubts had been wiped clean from my mind, and I wasn't so angry anymore. Talking to Leaf today, I did feel like I had a better connection with her. Maybe even a stronger one than I had with the guys. Looking at her, I definitely did regard her as more of a younger sister than a friend. The younger sister I never had.

* * *

We rode back to the school, all the way back to Valor Hall. Leaf locked up her bike as we headed inside.

"Paul!" I heard someone shout when we entered the lobby. It was Drew.

"Where have you been? I went back to the room and you weren't there."

"Went out to get some air. Why?" I asked.

"We got our studios assigned today. We were gonna go check it out."

"Remind me how those work again."

"The studio building is the one beside Verity Hall. It's filled with studio rooms where students can rehearse or study or whatever. Groups of eight are assigned to one studio. You, me, Gary and Ash make four for Studio B3."

"Right." I said, vaguely recalling this explanation on my first day here.

"Hey Leaf." Gary greeted as he appeared beside her.

"Hey Gary." She greeted. "You going to check out the studio too?"

"Yup. Wanna come with?" he asked.

"Sure, if you guys don't mind." Gary looked shocked that she took him up on his offer, but pleased.

"Hey guys! You found Paul!" Ash yelled, running up to the group.

"Uh-huh. All set to head out." Drew said, flipping his hair. The group of five of us headed out the way we came, and up the paved path towards the Studio building. It was wide and large, with tall windows. It was ivory in colour, like all the other buildings, but it had a beige entryway. The five of us made it up to the second floor, called floor B, and then to the third studio.

It was freaking huge. The room had high ceilings and one wall that was completely made out of glass, acting as a huge window to the front of the building. Another wall was completely mirrored, while the remaining two were beige. The floors were a laminated beach coloured hard wood. There was a black grand piano in the left corner on the wall the door was on.

"The studios are pretty big aren't they?" Leaf asked out loud.

"Yeah, but the better to practice in." Gary responded. We all headed into the room, Drew sitting at the piano bench, where he looked most comfortable. The rest of us stood.

"That reminds me, I wonder what studio I'm in this year." Leaf asked.

"Huh? That's weird, why is the door already open?" we all heard a voice say from the doorway. Three girls were standing there; Misty, May, and the annoying one.

Misty wore black leggings and a blue tunic dress. May wore blue shorts and a loose red shirt, and the annoying one wore black yoga pants and a loose, white crop top over a pink tank top. They all looked very confused at the five of us standing in the room.

"Guys, what are you doing here?" Leaf asked.

"Same thing you are, we're checking out our studio. Did you invite the guys over?" May asked.

"No December, she didn't." Drew said, "We invited her. This is our studio."

"No it's not, it was assigned to us." Dawn said, pulling out a piece of paper and showing it to them. "It says right here that we have B3."

"Well it says right here," Drew said holding up a similar piece of paper, "That we have B3 too."

"Well, there are eight of us." Gary said, doing the math. Then there was silence.

May and Drew were glaring at each other as usual, Leaf looked shocked and was avoiding Gary's eyes, Misty and Ash looked frightened of the other couple, and Dawn did not look impressed.

"So, all eight of us have to share B3." Dawn said.

"Looks that way." I interjected, causing Dawn to look at me.

"Dawn…?" Leaf asked warily, noticing her friends stare. Dawn walked up beside me.

"I apologize." She said stiffly, "For the way I acted yesterday."

I could tell she was struggled to get that out. That bothered me. Did she not think she did anything wrong?

"Well?" she said.

"Well what?"

"Are you going to forgive me and apologize back?"

"I don't remember doing anything wrong." I said back.

"WHAT!?" she yelled. "What you said traveled around the whole school. Everyone knows about it!"

"So?" I asked, not caring what other people thought.

"So you embarrassed me in front of the whole school." She snapped.

"Well then you should learn not to care what others think of you. That, is not my problem."

"Come on, guys-" Leaf tried to interject.

"You are so rude! You don't even care!"

"Why should I? What other people think of** you** isn't of any concern to **me**." I shot back

"What is wrong with you? Why are you so cold?!

"Why do you care? The way I see it you embarrassed yourself when you tried to pry. Again, not my problem."

"How did you even get into this school with an attitude like that?"

"Last time I checked, you got in based on your talent, not your personality. How **you** got in with a shallow song like yours I'll never know."

She gasped at that one. All of our friends had crowded around us during our argument. They stood frozen, probably never having seen this side of me or her before. Whatever Leaf claimed this girl had been five years ago was obviously gone now. Now all that stood in front of me was an obnoxious, self-consumed drama queen. I would not bend to please her, she was just some random girl with an empty song. I respected people with talent. If this girl thought she deserved respect without proving it, then she had another thing coming. She had done nothing to earn my respect thus-far, so she wasn't getting it.

"Who do you think you are?" she asked angrily.

"Someone who cares about music. That's more than you are." I shot back coldly. This girl thought she owned the school, but she didn't. You don't understand music in the slightest if you are willing to sing about things you don't care about. There was no emotion in her song, no heart. She had a lot to learn.

"We'll just see about that. Guys, help me out!" she said. She fished a speaker out of her purse and plugged an iPod into it.

"Here we go." Misty said. Leaf and May followed. The girls set themselves up in the middle of the room, in front of the mirrored wall. The music started.

**(Hold it Against Me, by Britney Spears, cover by Glee. The cover is faster paced, so I recommend the Glee version, but the original will work too.)**

_[Dawn] Hey over there_  
_Please forgive me_  
_If I'm coming on too strong_  
_Hate to stare_  
_But you're winning_  
_And they're playing my favorite song_

_So come here_  
_'Little closer_  
_Wanna whisper in your ear_  
_Make it clear_  
_Little question_  
_Wanna know just how you feel_

_If I said my heart was beating loud_  
_If we could escape the crowd somehow_  
_If I said I want your body now_  
_Would you hold it against me_

_Cause you feel like paradise_  
_And I need a vacation tonight_  
_So if I said I want your body now_  
_Would you hold it against me_

_Hey you might think_  
_That I'm crazy_  
_But you know I'm just your type_  
_I might be 'little hazy_  
_But you just cannot deny_

_There's a spark in between us_  
_When we're dancing on the floor_  
_I want more_  
_Wanna see it_  
_So I'm asking you tonight_

_If I said my heart was beating loud_  
_If we could escape the crowd somehow_  
_If I said I want your body now_  
_Would you hold it against me_

_Cause you feel like paradise_  
_And I need a vacation tonight_  
_So if I said I want your body now_  
_Would you hold it against me_

_[Spoken]_  
_If I said I want your body_  
_Would you hold It against me?_

_(Yeah) (Uh huh) (Oh)_

_Gimme something good_  
_Don't wanna wait I want It now (na-na-now)_  
_Pop It like a hood_  
_And show me how you work It out_

_(Alright)_

_If I said my heart was beating loud_  
_If I said I want your body now_  
_Would you hold it against me_

_If I said my heart was beating loud_  
_If we could escape the crowd somehow_  
_If I said I want your body now_  
_Would you hold it against me_

_Cause you feel like paradise_  
_And I need a vacation tonight_  
_So if I said I want your body_  
_Would you hold it against me?_

They ended their routine there. Apparently all four of them had taken dance last year, so it wasn't surprising that they all knew the routine off by heart. They were all panting, dancing having taken a toll on them. Dawn was smiling, proud of her performance. I just shook my head.

"What?" she snapped, noticing my disapproving gaze.

It was sad really. She had a nice voice, but she was wasting it. Her song was a performance, nothing more. She didn't put her whole heart into it. And as long as she held back, she would never go any further.

"All you did was prove my point for me." Was all I said, before I walked out of the studio.

**A/N: Do NOT start shipping Paul and Leaf. I wrote this chapter to establish a more sibling-like relationship between the two, and nothing more. Also, their friendship will make Gary jealous, and I find that hilarious. I've currently finished 2 more chapters of this story, and I'm editing them now, so look forward to chapter 9 on Monday! **


	9. Rivalry

**A/N: This chapter is mainly to set stuff up. Next couple of chapters I'm really proud of! I like this chapter too, because It's the first time I'm writing from Leaf's point of view. I hope you like it!**

Chapter 9: Rivalry

**Dawn**

I was stunned. He just walked out. I was feeling a lot of things in that moment. But the most dominant emotion was rage.

I came in here, expecting to check out our new studio, only to find that I had to share with the one guy I could have gone the rest of my life never speaking to again, and then to be insulted by him **again!**

He didn't even realize what his comment last night had done. As soon as I checked Facebook this morning, I knew the whole school knew.

"New kid stands up to Pop Princess."

Everyone was talking about it! I had already felt embarrassed enough that I had acted that way in public, but now the entire school was laughing at my expense. And Paul? Didn't even care.

I had struggled to apologize, but the least he could have done was say it back. It wasn't too much to ask right? We had both said mean things, we could have both apologized, shook hands, and then forgotten about it. But no, that's not what happened.

Ironically, the reason I had gotten mad at dinner was because he had barely said anything when I talked to him. But as soon as our argument started, he couldn't say enough.

And then to insult my music, he'd gone too far. He didn't know how hard I had worked. He couldn't understand what I'd been through to earn my title. And he had the nerve, the gal to tell me I didn't care about my performance. That my song was shallow!

And so I'd performed. May, Misty, Leaf and I nailed that routine, and what did he say!?

That I'd proved his point for him.

Did he not see how perfect that routine was!?

And then, to just walk away? I knew I had a funny feeling about that guy when he first got here, and now I knew what it was. He was a complete, and total JERK!

We pretty much dispersed after that. I didn't want to talk about what had happened, and the girls could see that. They left me alone.

I shut myself in my room. I didn't feel like talking to one of my friends, I barely understood the problem myself. What Paul said gave me a weird feeling in the center of my chest. It was a hollow worried feeling, and it was one I didn't understand.

"Piplup?" Piplup said as he jumped up on my bed.

"Oh, hey Piplup." I greeted, sitting up. Piplup climbed into my lap and looked up at me. He was always able to tell when I was upset.

"I don't know Piplup. It's just, the new kid. The guys really like him, and the girls do to, but the things he said to me…"

"Pip?"

"What does he know!? I've never even heard him perform yet, and he thinks he has the right to tell me that my music's no good? He's just plain arrogant."

_ How you got in with a shallow song like yours I'll never know. _

Those words echoed in my head. Was my song really that shallow? Whenever I had thought about it before, I just figured the song was about having fun. There's nothing wrong with that right?

"I bet that guy doesn't even know how to have fun." I said to Piplup.

Paul was just so serious and cold. I really couldn't even see him as a musician at all. But, he must be, because he's here after all.

"WHY am I worrying about what that jerk said to me!? I shouldn't listen to him, right?"

"Pip-Piplup!"

"Right. What does he know anyway!? I'm the schools Pop Princess. If he doesn't like my music, that that's his problem!"

I said the words believing them. But my heart still hurt with doubt. The songs I sang made me happy right? I may not have written them, but they were what everyone else liked. And if everyone else liked them, then I liked them.

That's what I told myself before I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next day was Sunday. Another day off from classes before we had to go back on Monday. I walked out of my room, seeing May on the couch, watching TV.

"Hey Sleepy Head." She greeted happily. I saw that she was eating a cinnamon bun with creamy white frosting.

"I went and got breakfast. Are you hungry?" she asked, offering me a cinnamon bun of my own.

"Thanks May." I said, sinking my teeth into sweet frosting. I saw she also got us coffee.

"So, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better, thanks." I said, taking another bit of my breakfast.

"That's good. So, what do you want to do today?"

"I've got some English homework to do, but I don't think it will take me very long to do." I said, taking a sip of my coffee.

"Ugh, Homework on the first week. That should be a crime." May said, slumping back into the couch.

"Well, it is school. Can't be having fun all the time." I said.

"I know, but can't they wait 'till next week to start giving us homework?"

"Apparently not." I concluded, finishing off my breakfast.

I went and got dressed after that. I picked out a short, black pencil skirt and a pink, off the shoulder shirt. May and I worked on our homework in the living room, so at least we'd have good company. Helping May with homework was a chore in itself, because she always ended up getting distracted. We decided to take a break around noon.

"Let's go get lunch!" May suggested. She was tying the laces on her black and red high-tops, which matched her t-shirt, which was red with a black spade design on it. She wore jean shorts with it.

We headed out the door, and ran into Leaf and Misty coming out of their shared room.

"Hey." I greeted them.

"Want to come get lunch with us?" May asked.

"Sure, we were just headed there ourselves actually." Misty said. Misty wore a white tank top and black jeans. Misty and May went into the elevator first, while Leaf and I went in second.

I knew it was going to be awkward around Leaf. She was the one who had convinced me to apologize to Paul, and then it went and turned into an argument. I knew she wouldn't be happy with me. But I hoped she wasn't going to completely defend Paul again.

When the elevator doors opened, Misty and May stepped out, but Leaf held me back.

"You guys go ahead, we'll meet you in a minute." Leaf said. She swiped her key card and selected the rooftop option. The doors closed, blocking out the image of a very confused Misty and May.

The elevator ascended, opening again on the rooftop patio. We both stepped out onto the bright surface. There were a few other people hanging out on the roof, but not many. People usually came out more in the spring. It got rather cold up here during the fall and winter. Leaf walked across the roof to sit on the stage portion, her legs dangling over the edge. I sat down next to her.

"So, you wanna tell me what happened?" she said.

"I'm pretty sure everyone saw what happened." I mumbled.

"Yeah, that was a pretty intense argument you had. But why did it start?"

"I don't know!" I huffed. "I apologized, just like you said I should. He was the one who didn't accept it."

"Dawn-" Leaf started.

"Don't Leaf!" I yelled. "Please don't take his side again!"

"Dawn, I'm not taking sides. I'm staying neutral, but from my perspective, you both contributed to what happened. You can't blame it all on him."

I huffed and crossed my arms. Leaf was always the one who gave advice and listened to our problems. She was the most mature of all of us.

"Dawn, those things that Paul said, I know they hurt you. And I'm really sorry for that. But, I don't think he really knew why you were mad. He's not the kind of person who notices what other people are talking about. I know why you wanted an apology, but the way you said it made it sound like you were demanding it."

I thought about what she said. I knew she was right, she always was, but I was stubborn, and after those things that Paul said, I just couldn't admit that I was at fault just as much as he was.

"I'm not asking you to forgive him. But you need to accept that he isn't going away anytime soon. He's friends with the guys," she stood up, "and, he's my friend too."

My head shot up to look at her. She looked like the Leaf I'd always known and loved. Same brown hair, same green eyes, wearing a white skirt and navy blue shirt. But the words coming out of her mouth, they were that of an alien.

"How?" I asked, standing up beside her. "How can you and everyone else like him? He's so rude, and arrogant, and-"

"Different." Leaf finished my sentence. "I know. But he's here for the same reason we all are. Because he loves music. I'm not asking you to be his friend D. Just, try not to kill him okay?" she asked with a smile. I smiled back.

"Okay. I'll try."

"Good. Now, the guys invited us to go let our Pokémon out in the courtyard today. You want to go, even though he'll be there?"

"Sure. Might as well get used to him now if he's going to be sticking around." I concluded.

We headed to the elevator and went back down to the lobby. Once we entered the lounge we spotted May and Misty right away. We both bought lunch then went over to sit with them.

"Hey, everything alright?" May asked.

"Yeah, we're fine now." I said.

"Hey, you girls want to go meet the guys later?" Leaf asked."We're going to let our Pokémon out to get some exercise."

"I don't know. Drew's probably going to be there." May whined.

"Have you still not gotten him back yet?" I asked.

"Nope. I want to get him back when he least expects it." She said, laughing manically at the end.

"That sounds good, but is a repeat of yesterday going to happen?" Misty asked, looking at me.

"I'm not going to pretend to like Paul. But, I'll attempt not to strangle him with my bare hands while he's around." I explained.

"That's oddly mature of you." Misty said.

"ODDLY!?" I yelled.

"I don't mean it as a criticism. But you know that if it was me he said those things to, he wouldn't have left that studio without a broken bone." Misty said.

We all laughed. And for a minute I forgot about how upset I had been the night before. I forgot about Paul's cruel words, and I forgot about all the doubts that had flooded my mind about my songs. For a moment, all I knew was that my friends were there for me. And for a moment, I was just happy.

* * *

**Paul**

"I think you're being paranoid." I said.

"There's being paranoid, and then there's being careful." Drew responded while he checked the surrounding area. We were back at the studio, and Drew was checking every corner of the room for traps that might have been set by May.

"Got to give you credit for the ping pong ball prank man. But it's a double edged sword. No matter how well you prank her, you'll always be looking over your shoulder." Gary commented.

"That's half the fun." Drew said, finishing his inspection. "All clear guys."

A buzzing sound came from the other side of the room. Ash pulled out his phone.

"Hey guys, Leaf just got back to me. The girls will meet us in the courtyard around 3."

"Cool. Then we've got some time to kill." Drew said.

"Yeah, but it also means you'll have to be on guard. May could still get you back." Gary suggested, walking over to the piano.

"She can try." Drew said, flipping his hair.

"It says all four girls are coming." I heard Ash say. He had crossed the room to lean back against the same wall I was leaning on. I didn't say anything.

"Including Dawn." Ash stated, worry in his voice.

"You got something to say?" I asked, tired of him beating around the bush.

"You said some pretty awful things to Dawn yesterday. Why?" Ash asked. Over the past week, I'd learned that he valued his friends more than anything, so I wasn't surprised that he was worried about Dawn.

"She demanded an apology for something she started. I wouldn't have had to argue with her if she had just let it go."

"Okay fine. Dawn was out of line too, but that doesn't make what you said okay either."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with him, I think.

"As long as she doesn't start something, we won't have a problem." I stated, getting up off the wall. I turned to face him.

"But if does she start something, I'm not going to back down."

Ash looked not entirely pleased with my answer, but he didn't push the issue any further. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Gary.

"Can we talk for a sec?" he asked. I nodded and walked out the door, Gary following close behind.

We walked down the hallway for a while, then stopped at the elevator.

"What is it?" I asked, hoping that it wasn't about the argument with that annoying girl yesterday.

"Yesterday you came back to the dorm with Leaf. Were you hanging out with her?"

"Yeah." I said. She had helped me with some stuff. Talking to her had quieted some of my concerns. It was nice to have her as a friend.

"Where'd you guys go?" he asked seriously.

"Downtown. To some music store called the 'House of Sound'." I explained. It wasn't a secret, so I didn't have any problems telling him about it. But why did he look like he cared so much?

"Right. Of course she'd go there." Gary said, smiling a little at the mention of Leaf.

"I need to ask you something. I may not have known you for that long, but I noticed that you're honest. So I trust you won't lie to me when I ask you this."

"I don't see the point in lying to protect others feelings. Just ask your question." I told him, tired of being badgered.

"Do you like Leaf?"

My eyebrows raised slightly at his question. I really hadn't expected him to ask me that, but now that he had I had to give an honest answer.

I really thought about it in that moment. As a human being, I liked Leaf. She was kind, caring, smart, and talented. She was a bit naïve, and she had her scars, but didn't we all? I thought about the idea of liking her as more than a friend seriously. But honestly, I just didn't feel anything.

But I wasn't surprised. Ever since _she _happened, I had never felt anything close to liking someone in the years since the incident. I had felt lust before, but never anything akin to love. Truthfully, I believed that I had lost the ability to feel anything close to that ever again. It was only through music that I was able to feel anything.

Perhaps if I had lived a different life, things would be different. If the incident five years ago hadn't happened, maybe I would consider Leaf as more of a romantic interest than I did. Or maybe I wouldn't. The truth was that Leaf was my friend and nothing more. I had my answer.

"No. She's my friend, and more like a sister than anything else."

As soon as I said that, I could see Gary immediately release a huge breath of air. He had really been afraid that I would be a rival for her. It was then that I understood. The flirting and teasing was just a front for him. I remembered before at dinner, when they were talking about how long they'd known each other. Gary had known Leaf since they were four years old. Maybe he truly did care about her.

"Sorry about that, I just had to make sure." Gary said, returning to his old self.

"No worries." I assured him as we walked back towards the studio.

No worries at all.

* * *

**Leaf**

"Come on! We're late!" I informed the girls as we unlocked our bikes from the stands.

By the time we got all of our homework done, and by 'we' I mean my friends since I always got mine done early, we had lost track of time. It was now 15 past 3 and we were running late to meet the guys.

"It's not so bad Leaf, it's just 15 minutes." May tried to reason.

"We would have been on time you know if you hadn't fallen asleep while watching the clock." I shot back.

Usually, the thought of hanging out with the guys was not very appealing, because Gary would no doubt try to hit one me again, but today I was excited.

I didn't get to let my Pokémon out of its ball very often because he was so big. My Pokémon wasn't a pre-evolution like Dawn's Piplup, who could walk around the dorm like a normal student could. I was excited to let him get some fresh air.

I was a little worried though, looking over at Dawn riding her pink bike. I knew after yesterday's argument, the chances of Dawn and Paul becoming friends had dropped to below zero, but I was satisfied with having them within 5 meters of each other without them trying to rip the other one's head off.

We made our way to the center of campus. I liked coming here during the fall. The leaves had yet to change colour yet, but when they did it was a beautiful sight. Sometimes my art class would come out to the courtyard to paint every once in a while.

The guys were already there, waiting under the canopy of trees that surrounded the huge concrete opening. The girls and I parked our bikes at a near-by stand.

One thing all four of us had in common was that we all rode our bikes everywhere. Mine was blue, May's was red, Dawn's was pink, and Misty's was orange. We locked them up before heading over to where the guys were lying down on the hill. Paul wore all black, like always, Drew wore a purple t-shirt and jeans, Ash wore a blue and red shirt with jeans, and Gary wore a light blue shirt with beige cargo pants. Drew looked up first.

"What took you guys so long?" Drew asked.

"Oh, like waiting 15 minutes is SUCH a big deal!" May argued.

"Somehow I take it that it was your fault then?" Drew asked, smirking.

"Guys!" I yelled, stopping the on-coming argument. "Are we gonna let our Pokémon out or not?"

The guys all took out their own red and white spheres, minus Ash since Pikachu was always out, and the girls mimicked the action.

"Let's go!" I called, tossing mine up into the air. The others did the same, and suddenly the sky was filled with bright light.

Within seconds, our Pokémon materialized in front of us. Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder to greet his friends.

The smallest Pokémon were Dawn's Piplup and Misty's Marill. They were both water types, and were around Pikachu's size. Pikachu was an electric type, evident by his bright yellow fur and thunderbolt shaped tail.

The next biggest was Gary's Umbreon. I could remember back when we were kids, when Umbreon was just a little Eevee. He was a dark type.

After that was Drew's Roserade, who was a grass type. She was very elegant and very loyal to her trainer. I had even drawn her a few times.

The biggest was my Pokémon and May's Pokémon. May had a full grown Blaziken, which she had evolved from her little Torchic. Her father had apparently got it for her from the Hoenn region, so she could remember where she came from. It was a fire and a fighting type.

And then there was my guy. On my tenth birthday, I had received him from Gary's grandfather, and he had been my best friend ever since. He was big and green, and he knew me better than anyone else. He was my Venasaur.

"Venasaur!" I greeted as I hugged him around his neck.

"Vena!" he responded, nuzzling my face.

"Isn't it nice to be out in the open again?" I asked.

I looked around, noticing the other trainers all conversing with their Pokémon too. But when I counted all the Pokémon up, I only counted seven. Someone was missing.

I spotted Paul leaning against one of the trees, just watching the interactions passively. I walked over to him, Venasaur following me over.

"Hey Paul." I greeted. "Are you going to let your Pokémon out too?"

He didn't respond right away. He just looked at me with a thoughtful expression on his face. Then he reached behind him and fished out a pokéball. He opened it while still holding the sphere in his hand and let out the creature inside.

Paul's Pokémon was huge! Even bigger than Venasaur, and he looked incredibly strong. It looked like it had some sort of shell and it had a big tree growing out of its back.

"WOW! Who is this?" I asked, impressed with his Pokémon's massive size.

"This is Torterra." Paul informed me.

"Terra." Torterra said, looking up at me with curious eyes.

I kneeled down to Torterra's eye level.

"Hello Torterra. I'm Leaf, and this is Venasaur." I greeted, looking behind me to gesture to my Pokémon.

"Saur!" Venasaur greeted.

"Terra?" Torterra questioned, looking back at its trainer.

"They're friends." Paul stated, getting up from leaning on the tree to walk around to Torterra's head.

"Is he a grass type? "

"Yeah. Grass and Ground type."

"Wow, you're so cool Torterra." I praised, petting his head. Torterra looked confused at my behavior, but he didn't oppose it.

"Man," Ash spoke up, "I wish we were allowed to battle."

"Sorry man. No battling on school grounds. Break that rule and we'd all get expelled." Gary reminded.

We all walked onto the cement portion of the courtyard, watching our Pokémon socialize in the shade.

"It's nice to be back at school, but I could do without the work load." Ash commented.

"I know. The first competition is next month, and the staff is already pushing us to start practicing." Drew responded.

"Why do they have so many competitions anyway?" I asked.

"It's to see where we stand." Dawn explained. "It gives all the performers rankings."

"How is that?" Paul asked Drew.

"Well, the school hosts lots of contests for all the programs. The drama department puts on stuff like plays and improves nights, the art students have galleries, the dance students have shows, and the music students have concerts. Depending on how well you do in the competition, you get a ranking. How high you're ranked reflects how talented you are in your specific program. Because Dawn won last year's showcase, her ranking is number one in the music program."

"We don't have that many competitions." May interjected. "Maybe four? The one next month is the Diamond Concert, and it's to give the freshman their rankings and give new rankings to the students from last year. Then there's one after winter break called the Pearl Concert, and then the Platinum concert in March, and then the Showcase in May."

"Is it just for the music program?" Paul asked. I was happy he was asking questions. He seemed more comfortable talking around the guys than before.

"Yeah, the Showcase is just for music. They have different competitions for each program." Gary answered. "There are about 600 students in this school, give or take, and they're divided in the four programs pretty evenly. There are about 150 students in the entire music program. But only the top 50 ranked perform at the Showcase."

"All the competitions have weird names though." I interjected "Now that I think about it. For music, its Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. For art it's Emotion, Willpower, and Knowledge. For drama it's the Sea Prince, Flower Paradise, and Lava Dome. And for dance it's Dream, Nightmare, and Alpha."

"And then they all have final shows like the showcase too; they just call it different things. The Hearthome Showcase is for music, the Hearthome Gala is for Art, the Hearthome Festival is for Drama, and the Hearthome Jubilee is for Dance." Misty concluded.

"Sounds confusing." Paul commented.

"It is." Ash said.

"But you get used to it." Misty assured.

"You'll learn the names later." I assured him.

I couldn't help but glance between Paul and Dawn. I was afraid that at any moment they could start fighting again, but they were both acting incredibly cold and distant towards each other. Which I guess was better than heated and arguing.

I got a strange feeling then. Dawn had a new competitor in the music program, and it looked like it was going to be a nasty rivalry.

Looking at them both I got a sense of foreboding. I sincerely hoped that it was just my imagination. But I couldn't help but worry that the rivalry that had started between those two was going to be very, very intense.

Whether that was going to be a good or bad thing, I was afraid to find out.


	10. Join Us

**A/N: First off, guys, I have 49 reviews for this story. 49! That's almost 50, which is halfway to 100, and that's only for 9 chapters! I find that kind of amazing. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, this is really awesome to see.**

**Second, I have been getting some mixed reviews about Leaf as a character. Some people like that she's the mediator between Paul and Dawn, while other people find her too perfect. Guys, just relax. Deep breaths, its gonna be okay. I haven't even begun to develop Leaf's background or her real character yet. So if she seems perfect right now, I promise you that it isn't going to last. I have her back-story well thought out, and she will have some scars. So don't pass judgement just yet, everyone will get development in time. **

**Lastly, I apologize in advance to anyone who loves Dawn, you'll understand why when you read this chapter. I know she acts like a huge bitch right now, but sometimes you have to go through hard times to become the person you're meant to be. I personally had a lot of fun writing this chapter, because when Dawn first came on the show, I really didn't like her. She was just really air-headed and cared way too much about her hair. Which is why I like Ikarishipping so much, because Paul was one of my favourite characters, and pairing him up with Dawn, who I didn't like very much, caused me to change my mind and like her more as time went on.**

**Okay, I think that's everything, now on with Chapter 10!**

Chapter 10: Join Us

**Paul**

It had been 3 weeks since school officially started, meaning it was almost October. Almost a month into the year and I thought I was finally getting used to this place. But life likes to throw unexpected twists at you, just for the hell of it.

Drew and I were walking to Stage Performance on Friday. In the three weeks I'd known Drew I had gotten pretty used to him, as well as everyone else. But that particular day he was starting to get on my nerves. He was rambling on about the prank May had pulled on him a few days earlier, and I was trying to tune him out as we walked.

"That girl is not getting away with this. I swear even if it takes me the rest of the year I'm going to get my revenge!"

One thing I had learned about both May and Drew in the weeks I'd known them was that they were both very dramatic, and took this prank war of theirs way too seriously.

"You've been saying that all day, give it a rest." I told him as I ignored the laughs Drew was getting from the other students we passed.

"How can you be so nonchalant about this?" Drew asked me.

"Well it didn't happen to me." I responded.

* * *

_(Flashback)_

_It was Wednesday and Drew and I were heading to the studio. We had a performance in Instrumental class that we needed to learn by the end of the week, so we thought it would be better to practice in the Studio then in the dorm._

_Even though Drew was here for piano as his main focus, he had gotten into playing base near the end of last year, so he'd signed up for the Strings class to get better at it. He was in the same class as Leaf, Gary and I, but he had skipped the first class to pull that prank on May. Doing that hadn't made Miss Belle like him very much, so he had to work extra hard to get on her good side._

_"So I went to get the music from her, and she gave me the evilest death glare I've ever gotten before. And I've pissed off my fair amount of teachers before, but Miss Belle is another story." He recounted yesterday's lesson._

_"Who teaches the piano class then?" I asked. Miss Belle said she was the instructor for all the Instrumental classes, but maybe it was just all the string classes._

_"That would be Miss Keys. Which is pretty ironic when you think about someone with the last name Keys teaching piano." Drew laughed._

_We exited the elevator and started to walk down the hall._

_"Psst!" I heard someone say. I stopped walking and looked around._

_"What's up Paul?" Drew asked. _

_He stopped walking when he realized I wasn't following. Suddenly I spotted something out of the corner of my eye, but Drew failed to notice it. It was only there for a second, but I could've sworn I saw a flash of red._

_"Shoelace is untied. You go on ahead, I'll catch up." I said, looking to investigate who made that sound. Whoever it was obviously didn't want Drew to know they were there._

_"Alright, suit yourself." Drew said as he turned around and kept walking. _

_I fake kneeled down to tie my imaginary undone laces. When Drew rounded the corner, I stood up and opened the studio door across the hallway from where I was standing._

_"Eeep!" May squealed when I opened the door._

_"May? What are you doing?" I asked, although I could probably guess what. She wore white jeans and a red lace shirt._

_"Just exploring!" May squeaked out. She was obviously lying._

_"I'm serious. You got my attention, now what do you want?"_

_"Okay, fine. I set up my revenge prank on Drew in the studio, but then I heard you were going to be there too and I didn't feel right pranking you when you had nothing to do with what Drew did to me so I ran over here to get your attention before you got to the studio!" she rambled on. I think I got the gist of what she was saying._

_"So, then that means-"_

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" I heard someone scream. _

_May had a huge grin plastered on her face as she ran ahead of me. I ran after her, concerned that she might have committed murder in her attempt to get revenge._

_We rounded the corner and ran down the hall. The door to Studio B3 was wide open and light was pouring into the hall from the windowed wall. We got to the doorway and looked inside. May burst out laughing while I just stared._

_Drew was lying on his back in the middle of the studio floor, soaking wet and shivering like crazy. On the far side of the room was Ash's skateboard, obvious from the red, blue, and white pokéball design on it. Suspended on an elaborate wire system attached to the door was an empty bucket that used to be filled with water. Drew looked at the doorway when he heard May's laughter._

_"Y-y-y-you d-d-d-did th-th-th-this?" he asked, teeth chattering with every word._

_"But of course! You must have seen this coming?" May smiled triumphantly._

_ "S-s-s-s-sure. B-b-b-but I ex-expected s-s-something m-m-more e-elaborate. This w-w-was c-c-cute a-at b-b-best!" Drew shot back, trying to stand up on the slippery floor._

_"That's what you think." May said in a sing-song voice. _

_She knew something we didn't. I looked around the room and spotted something sitting on the piano._

_"Is that what I think it is?" I asked, pointing at the objects perched on the piano. Drew looked over too and froze, as if that was possible._

_"Yup. A video camera connected to a laptop computer. My prank was not only hilariously funny, but now the whole school gets to enjoy it!" She explained._

_"You didn't." Drew said seriously. _

_May smirked._

_"Oh, but I did. That camera is uploading the video directly to the internet. You embarrassed me in front of the whole school, so I thought it would only be fair to do the same." She concluded._

_"In fact!" she stated, drawing out her phone. "It's already ready for viewing!" she said as she turned her phone for us to watch. _

_It was true. A video of Drew was playing on her phone. It involved Drew walking through the doors of the studio, slipping on the skateboard, falling and landing in the middle of the floor, then having water splashed all over him. You could just make out him saying, "Oh no." as the bucket tipped over on him. I had to cover my mouth with my hand to keep from smiling._

_"Y-You little…!" Drew couldn't even finish his sentence._

_"I think my work here is done." May claimed as she walked past us to get her camcorder and laptop. "Have a nice day gentlemen."_

_Then May walked right out of the studio, glowing with pride. I turned to look at Drew._

_"I'm not helping clean up."_

* * *

"Man," Drew started. "The whole school has seen that video."

"Don't complain. You knew you had this coming, you just got careless and let your guard down."

"This isn't my fault!" Drew exclaimed.

"If you don't want to get embarrassed, you either have to be more careful or learn not to care what others think of you." I reasoned.

"It must be nice not caring about others opinions. How do you do it Paul?" he asked.

What he didn't know was that it wasn't nice. I didn't care because I'd lost the ability to. Caring hurt too much, so I switched off the part of myself that did. It meant I didn't care what people thought negatively of me, but it also meant I didn't care about the positive either.

We walked into class and made our way to our seats at the back of the room. Ash and Gary were already there.

"Hey Paul," Gary greeted, "Hey drowned Rattata." He said to Drew.

Drew scowled at him. Ever since Gary saw that video he was coming up with all kinds of names for Drew. Thinking back on that day, he did look like a drowned Rattata. More so if he had purple hair though.

"Not funny." Drew said, sitting down beside Ash.

"Alright class, settle down!" shouted Mr. Fin over the 30 odd students in the class.

Everyone quieted down. Mr. Fin was a relatively young teacher. He looked like he was in his mid 20's. He was tall and broad, with brown hair and a square jaw. He was probably the easiest teacher we had out of all of our classes.

"Now I told you yesterday that today we'd be practicing and consulting with each other about your upcoming performances at the Diamond Concert which comes up in a few weeks time. But the staff just got some breaking news from the Principal herself, so I'm going to start off with an announcement."

Whispers could be heard through-out the class. It seemed everyone was curious as to what this breaking news could be.

"Now for the past two or three years, there have been rumors floating around about a new type of program that the school was trying to attain the rights to offer. This type of program was not to be on its own, like music, dance or drama, it was to be more like a sub-division of one of the already existing programs. The curriculum we offer here is already program specific, and this new program would be something we've never tried before."

Now the classroom was buzzing with hushed voices. They were all conversing about what this new program might be. They kept their voices low though, because they still wanted to hear what it was.

"Well I'm happy to announce that those rumors are true. Principal Veil just confirmed that the school has gotten the program it's wanted so long for. Starting today the school will be offering a sub-division of the music program that we're calling the Band Program."

Ash and Drew high-fived and Gary pumped his fist in the air. I on the other hand wasn't really sure what that meant.

"Now this isn't a program for marching bands or anything like that. When this school started, it only pursued classical interests. But as times changed, so did the music industry. The classes the school offered started to evolve in order to fit the new generations of musicians, and now we support all genres of music. Now, the new program will accept groups of 3 or more people as a band, and when they perform at competitions they will be considered as one act. That means all members will be ranked the same. The band may choose to perform any type of music that they want, but their performances will be judged more harshly. Being a participant of the band program does not mean your classes get easier. If anything, being in the band program will be more work than the programs you're currently in, but it will be an amazing opportunity none-the-less.

"You may apply for the band program until the end of October. This may seem like a hassle, considering you've already settled into your classes, and joining the program may cause your schedules to shift, but I still recommend that all of you consider the opportunity. And now, onto the lesson…"

I don't think anyone was listening after that. They were all talking about the new program, but the comments weren't all positive. Most of the people in class thought the new program sounded like a joke. They all seemed to think it was too much trouble to apply to a new program when their classes were already set. If you asked me, they all seemed like glory hogs. They didn't feel like sharing the spotlight with anyone else, so they weren't even considering the idea. Then I looked to my left and saw my three friends. They weren't talking at all, they were just smiling. And I couldn't help but wonder why.

* * *

After class ended, I got back to the dorm before Drew did. For the past few days I'd had a new idea for a song stuck in my head and I wanted to start it as soon as I could.

For the past few weeks I'd been hanging out with the guys a lot, which was fine, but it had led me to neglect my writing. I got my acoustic from my room and pulled out my black book from my pocket. I sat down on the brown leather couch facing away from the door.

Hanging out with my new "friends" was a new experience for me, but I was learning to get used to it. But sometimes, it was nice to go back to what I knew. Writing songs was something I had been doing for years. It comforted me to just sit in my dorm alone, and get ready to write a new song.

"PAUL!" someone shouted as the door slammed open.

_So much for alone._

Drew, Gary, and Ash piled into the room rather loudly.

"What?" I asked rather irritated.

"How can you ask that!?" Gary questioned.

"Because yelling my name gives me absolutely no context as to what you could possibly want!" I shot back. All they did was smile.

"What's up with you guys?" I asked kind of disturbed by their behavior.

"We're just excited! We've been waiting for this program since last year!" Drew said.

"What, the band program?"

"Yes the band program!" Gary shouted. "The school's been trying to get it since before we even came here. When we heard the rumors freshman year, we swore we'd audition for it if the school ever got it." Gary explained.

"Why?" I questioned.

"Why ELSE!?" Gary said, jumping over the back of the couch to sit next to me. "Chicks dig rock bands!"

"Ignore him." Drew said as he sat down in one of the armchairs. "We just think it sounds fun. We'd get to perform together as one act, and perform whatever kind of music we wanted."

I guess I kind of understood where they were coming from, but it was also a big risk to take. They would all be ranked the same based on their performance as one band, so if one of them messed up, it would reflect on all of them.

"Have you practiced?" I asked.

"Yup!" Ash answered. "All we need to do is apply!"

"But there is something we need to do before that." Drew said. "And that's where you come in."

_Oh boy._

"What do you need from me?"

"Dude, you're like the most serious person we know. That means you'll give us the most objective opinion on our performance." Gary explained.

"Just listen to our song." Drew said. "Then tell us what you think. It'll be good practice for when we audition."

I was kind of shocked that they valued my opinion so much, when we had only met a few weeks ago. But I also understood that they needed someone objective to judge their performance.

"Sure, why not?" I conceded.

"Great, thanks Paul!" Ash thanked me as he left the dorm.

"We'll be right back." Said Gary as he followed Ash out the door.

Drew meanwhile went to his room, and then came back moments later carrying a silver keyboard with a black stand. He set it up on the stage-like portion of the floor.

Ash and Gary then came back in, struggling to carry Ash's drum set with them. Eventually, between the three of them, they got all the instruments set up on the small stage in our dorm room, along with an amp for Gary's electric guitar. It had a black body and yellow inlays. Drew was sitting at the keyboard, Ash sat at his red drum set and Gary stood.

"This song was written by the immensely talented keyboardist Drew, who will also sing said song." Drew said, referring to himself in the third person for some unknown reason. He flipped a switch on his electric keyboard, and the music started.

**(Lightning by Alex Goot)**

_[Drew]: You're staring me down with those electric eyes_

_No matter how hard I try,_

_I can't escape that gaze tonight_

_2x That girl's up in the atmosphere  
I'm hypnotized by the way she moves_

_Baby girl please help me soon,_

_Imma take you to sun and the moon _

_2x That girl's up in the atmosphere_

_And I've been catching myself thinking of it_

_It was 3 in the morning,_

_Every day I chase after her_

_But I can't catch lightning_

_Catching myself thinking of it_

_It was 3 in the morning, _

_Every day I chase after her_

_But I can't catch lightning  
No, I can't catch lightning_

_She'll make you believe anything she wants_

_Make you think that you're the one_

_She will keep you there_

_That girl's up in the atmosphere_

_She's way up in the atmosphere_

_And I've been catching myself thinking of it_

_It was 3 in the morning,_

_Every day I chase after her_

_But I can't catch lightning_

_Catching myself thinking of it_

_It was 3 in the morning,_

_Every day I chase after her_

_But I can't catch lightning_

_No, I can't catch lightning_

_Oh, I can't catch lightning_

_Yeah, I can't catch lighting_

_You're staring me down with those electric eyes_

_No matter how hard I try,_

_I can't escape that gaze tonight_

_3x That girl's up in the atmosphere_

_She's way up in the atmosphere_

_And I've been waiting, waiting, waiting for you_

_Anticipating_

_Chasing after things that you do_

_But I can't catch lightning_

_Waiting, waiting, waiting for you_

_Anticipating_

_Chasing after things that you do_

_But I can't catch lightning  
No, I can't catch lightning_

_Oh yeah_

_No, I can't catch lightning_

_Oh, I can't catch Lightning_

_Oh no,_

_I can't catch lightning._

They finished their song, looking rather pleased with themselves. During their performance, I had watched and listened intently. If they wanted my honest critique, I intended to do my best to give it to them. I sat quietly, thinking about every second of their performance. I could feel their eyes on my while I thought out my answer. After a few moments, I looked at them.

"I've got some criticisms." I said.

Gary looked like he was about to say something, but Drew stepped on his foot to stop him.

"Well, tell us then." Drew said calmly. I took a deep breath.

"Individually, you're all good musicians. That much was clear in your performance. But how often did you practice the song together?"

They all looked at each other than back at me.

"A few times. We mainly learned our parts on our own though." Ash responded.

"I think that's your main problem. A band is supposed to create music together, but it sounded more like you were all playing the same song at the same time. Your performances have to complement each other, and come together." I explained.

"But it's an easy fix. If you just practice together more instead of apart, you'll get the hang of it. Also Drew, I got the feeling you weren't really used to singing and playing piano at the same time. If you're going to be the main singer, you should work on that."

I concluded my assessment. They all stared blankly at me.

"Do you have anything positive to say?" Gary asked.

"The sound was good, and so were the lyrics. You are all obviously good musicians." I stated.

"That's more like it!" Gary cheered.

"Thanks for your input man." Drew thanked me. "I know I've got to work on the singing, but honestly we haven't decided yet who the main singer was going to be. It's mainly between Gary and me."

"Yeah, the problem is that Drew's a better singer, but I'm better at singing while playing. Guess we still have some stuff to figure out before we audition." Gary pointed out.

"Good luck." I told them before I took my book and guitar into my room. If they were going to practice more, than I needed to be alone.

After listening to the guy's performance I had to clear my head in order to think about my new song. I had most of the lyrics, I just needed to work out the music. I decided to take a shower. The warm water pounding on my head usually did a good job calming my mind. It wasn't a long shower, just long enough to get the music flowing through my head. I dried off and re-dressed. A tune was already playing through my head in time with my lyrics.

"_I'm falling through the doors of the emergency room, Can anybody help me with these exit wounds." _I sang to myself as I ran a towel through my hair. I couldn't hear they guys outside in the living room anymore, so I assumed they had left. I picked up my guitar and started strumming.

"_I don't know how much more love, this heart can lose, but I'm dying, dying from these exit wounds."_

I heard a thump and stopped playing. I thought the guys had left, but maybe they hadn't. But after the thump it was completely silent again. Something wasn't right.

I laid down my acoustic on my bed and made my way to the door of my room quietly. I slowly turned the handle, then abruptly opened the door.

"AAAHHH!" Ash and Gary screamed as they hit the floor. Drew stood up straight, startled by the fast movement of the door.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, looking down at Gary and Ash on the floor of my room, then up at Drew who was just standing there, looking embarrassed.

"Nothing." Ash responded.

"What makes you think we're doing something?" Gary asked, still on the floor.

"Gee, I wonder." I replied sarcastically. Drew suddenly straightened up.

"Paul, that was amazing." Drew said. "Why didn't you tell us you could sing like that?"

"You never asked." I pointed out. "Were you guys listening in?"

Gary and Ash finally stood up from the floor.

"Well, can you blame us?" Gary asked incredulously.

"It was really good." Ash complimented.

I rolled my eyes and walked past them, into the living room where the musical instruments were still set up.

"How long have you been singing?" Ash asked.

"Since, forever I guess?" I responded.

"And you can play guitar at the same time? I feel like we should've known that." Gary pointed out.

_No, you shouldn't have. Because I didn't tell you, because you never asked. And I liked it that way._

"Paul, you really are good. And you not only write your own songs, you can play guitar really well." Drew pointed out.

"Ya know, with his emo-kid style and loner attitude, he really don't come off as much of a singer, but somehow he makes it work." Gary pointed out.

"He does play an instrument, and his singing is the best we've heard so far." Ash interjected.

I had a feeling this conversation was mainly going on between them, even though they were talking about me and I was in the same room.

"Where are you going with this?" I asked, genuinely confused.

They all just looked at each other and smiled.

"Wanna join the band?"

* * *

**Dawn**

"This was the best idea ever!" May exclaimed. "We should do this all the time."

"I don't think that would be wise, unless you want a mouth full of cavities." I said

May had dragged me down to the lounge because she had an ice cream craving, and she didn't want to be eating it all alone. It was kind of strange to be eating the cold treat when it was almost October. Fall had come and replaced summer, which meant cooler days and longer nights were approaching Hearthome city. But despite the not-hot weather, the ice cream was still good.

"I don't need to worry about silly stuff like that, I practice great dental hygiene." May argued. She straightened her red blouse which went great with her blue skinny jeans.

"Okay, then you might get hypothermia. Don't you think it's strange to be eating ice cream when it's almost 15 degrees Celsius outside?" I asked.

"Says the girl almost done her vanilla swirl." May pointed out.

I was about to respond when I caught something out of the corner of my eye. It was Drew, Gary and Ash coming through the swinging doors to the lounge. They looked kind of down as they flopped onto the velvet couches by the TV.

"Dawn, what it is?" May asked concerned.

"Look over there." I said, pointing to where the guys were sitting. "It looks like something's wrong."

"Well, let's go find out. It'll give me an opportunity to tease Drew some more." May said, standing up from her seat.

I stood up to and followed her over to where the guys were sitting.

"Greetings gentlemen, and Drew." May greeted with a smirk. Drew's head was lying against the back of the couch.

"Not now July, not in the mood." Drew said without lifting his head.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Kind of," Gary responded. "We're running out of persuasive arguments."

"And you expect us to know what that means?" May asked.

"You know that band program that Mr. Fin announced today?" Ash spoke up.

"Yeah, what about it?" I responded.

"Well, we want to do it."

I was taken aback by this. The band program had been rumored about for years, but when it finally came to pass not many people seemed as excited about it. And Gary, Ash and Drew were some of the best musicians in school, so the thought of them wanting to take the chance to be in the band program was shocking.

"Why? You're already respected musicians on your own, and being in that program is a huge risk." I questioned.

"That's exactly why we want to do it." Drew explained. "We're all good musicians on our own, so it makes sense that we would be even better if we played together. Or so we thought."

"Can you guys stop talking in riddles and tell us what you're all moping about?" May said.

"We think we have a chance of getting into the program, but only if we get Paul to join the band." Drew said.

"But when we asked, he said no." Ash ended.

I was surprised. Why did they want Paul to be in their band? I mean, I know they liked him and all, but he didn't really seem like a team player. Did they really have so much faith in him?

And furthermore, he said NO!? Drew, Gary and Ash have been nice to him since the first day he got here, and he turned them down!? How could you treat your so-called friends like that? Maybe now they would see my view of that guy. He was nothing but an uncaring jerk.

"Why did he do that?" May asked curiously.

"We don't know. He just turned us down." Gary said.

"Well, why do you need him anyway? You have three people, and that's enough to be in the program. You should just do it without him." I told them.

"It's not about the requirements Dawn, it's about the talent. We think Paul being in the band would help us in the long run." Drew explained.

"Yeah, and we want him to be in the band. He is our friend now." Ash concluded.

I was starting to get mad. How **dare** Paul treat these guys this way! They really valued him, but obviously he didn't value them. It wasn't fair, and it wasn't right.

"Where's Paul now?" I asked.

"Don't know, he went out." Drew responded.

"May, I'll see you later okay? I've got something to do." I said.

"Okay…" May said in a confused voice.

I walked out of the lounge through the swinging doors and proceeded out of the Valor Halls glass doors. The air was nippy, I noticed right away. It was sunny, but the wind was cool. I pulled my jean jacket closer to my body and scolded myself for wearing shorts.

I walked around campus, the sun warming my skin even as the wind hit my legs. I wore black shorts that day, so at least they'd absorb the sunlight. I also wore a pink shirt with white sleeves, but they couldn't be seen under my jacket. I walked all the way to the courtyard and looked around. The pavement was clear of any students. I scanned the greenery lining the paved courtyard until I heard something.

It was a strumming sound, like a guitar would make. I followed the music for a few steps until I spotted something behind one of the trees. I walked closer and saw the person I was looking for.

The leaves of the tree Paul was sitting under were just starting to change color. They retained most of their green, but were tipped with shades of red and orange. Paul was sitting with his back up against the trunk of the tree and he had an acoustic guitar sitting across his lap. He was the one that was playing. He hadn't even noticed my arrival as he didn't look up from his instrument. That made me even angrier.

"Hey you!" I shouted as I made my way up to him. That got his attention, if only slightly. He raised his head to look at me with uninterested eyes. I put my hands on my hips in a frustrated manner.

"What is your problem?" I yelled at him, unleashing all the anger I had in my voice.

"At the moment, you." He said in a monotone voice.

I chose to ignore his comment and keep ranting.

"I just talked to Drew, Gary and Ash, your so-called 'friends'! They told me you turned down their offer to join a band with them!"

All Paul did was stare blankly at me, not letting any emotion show.

"They've been nothing but nice to you since you got here, and this is how you repay them? You don't deserve to have friends like them. All you do is push them further and further away, no matter how hard they try and make you feel accepted. You're just-"

"Shut. Up."

My rant froze in my throat. Those two words, they were spoken with such cold ferocity that I felt like someone had poured ice water in my veins. Paul stood up, slinging his guitar across his back and looking down at me. I had never seen Paul show any emotion until then, but what I saw inside his black eyes was nothing less than pure rage.

"Who the _hell _do you think you are?" he asked harshly. I gulped at his voice.

"You think you have the right to lecture me about the decisions I make? Because last time I checked, free will was still a practised concept. The guys asked me a question, and I gave them an answer. It might not have been the answer they wanted, but it was an answer."

"I-" I choked out, but Paul wasn't done. His already dark eyes somehow became even darker with every word.

"Is that all you think friendship is? Occasionally being nice to people so they'll never go against what you want. Not surprising, since you basically walk around like you own the place. But let me tell you a secret _princess._" He leaned in so his face was directly in front of mine.

"No one's going to remember you. Within a year, everyone will forget your song, your voice, and your name. And do you want to know why? Because everything about you is pathetic. Your song, your attitude, and most of all, your fear of one person not respecting you.

"Is that what you're afraid of? That I'm right? That you don't deserve the respect everyone's giving you, and that they'll all stop just because I don't give you any?" he whispered.

I couldn't meet his eyes any longer. I looked down at the ground, my heart filling with pain at his words.

"I don't need a sad excuse for a singer like you trying to tell me how to live my life. So do us both a favor, and stay away from me."

Paul placed his guitar in its case and walked away.

I stood there for a long time after that, just staring at the ground. I don't think I've ever been talked to that way in my entire life. The words he said, they cut through me like a knife, filling me with emotions I hadn't had for a long time. Doubt, shame, pain clouded my head. I wouldn't cry though, not for him. I kept the tears at bay, clenching my fists until I could feel my nails almost puncturing my skin. The whole time thinking the same thing.

Was he right? Was I afraid of losing respect? Would everyone forget me?

I was ashamed to say I was afraid of him being right. I didn't want it to be true. I wanted to deny it, but the thoughts wouldn't go away. I didn't want to be here anymore. I looked up, still sad and hurt, and took a few steps forward. But my foot hit something.

I looked down at the ground again, where Paul had been sitting not that long ago. I crouched down and picked up the object I had stepped on, wondering about its significance.

What I held in my hand was a small, black, leather-bound book.

And I had a sinking suspicion that I knew who it belonged to.

**A/N: So yeah, I had a little bit of fun writing Paul putting Dawn down. Don't hate me or Paul though, it will all work out. And trust me, Dawn needed this. This is the first step to her realizing her mistakes. And just so ya know, the song Paul was singing was Exit Wounds by The Script. I plan to use a lot of their songs in this fiction because their one of my favorite bands! Well, until next week wonderful readers!**


	11. Conflicted

**A/N: Hello readers, I have a few announcements before we get tot he chapter!**

**Firstly, I am having some trouble coming up with pranks for Drew and May to pull on each other. I myself, am not much of a prankster, so writing that aspect of the story is hard for me. So, I thought I'd ask you guys for help! If any of you readers have any prank ides that you would like either May or Drew to enact on each other, leave a review or send me a PM of your idea! I need some inspiration!**

**Secondly, remember that trip I talked about awhile back? Well, I leave at the beginning of next week, so sadly, I will not be updating my story next Monday. Frankly, I'll just be too busy getting ready. I am leaving to live on the other side of the world for 5 months. But, to make it up to you guys, who I love for all the wonderful reviews and critiques you leave me, I will be posting 2, that's right, 2 CHAPTERS the following week to make up for the delay. You guys will be getting twice the Heroes Grace to reward your patience! I hope that can make up for your two week wait.**

**And, that's it, onto the chapter!**

Chapter 11: Conflicted

**Dawn**

The room was dark as it was pretty late into the night. I glanced over at the alarm clock on my bedside table and read the numbers 1:00. I usually fell asleep by midnight but sleep wouldn't come tonight. Or maybe I was fighting it off.

I sat cross-legged on the fuchsia blanket covering my bed. I was dressed in pink pajama shorts and a black tank top, with my Buneary doll sitting in my lap. It gave me little comfort, but it was all I had to hold onto at the moment.

Paul's words kept replaying over and over again in my head. And with each repetition I felt myself get hit with a wave of nausea. Everything about that conversation had been awful. I wanted to cry, scream, punch something, and crawl under my covers forever all at the same time. I hugged my plush Pokémon doll to my chest, letting its soft, artificial fur soothe me. I opened my eyes and stared at the object sitting in front of me.

Contrasting the bright fuchsia blanket was the black leather book I had picked up earlier. I don't really know why I kept it. When I had realized who the book most likely belonged to, I wanted to throw it as far away as I could and hope it never got found. But clutching the cool leather cover in my hand a few hours before, I couldn't bring myself to loosen my grip in order to throw it. I couldn't even bring myself to put it back down on the ground and walk away, so I'd just brought it back with me.

When I'd gotten back to my room, I vaguely considered destroying it. I could have run it under the tap in my bathroom, letting the ink on the pages drain away like I wish the pain in my heart would. But I couldn't make myself do that either. I had tried really hard to be angry. But I couldn't make it last. Whenever I attempted to get mad, it just went out like a candle flame in the wind, so I'd settled with depression. Paul's words made me feel cold inside, and worthless. And as much as I was angry at him for saying those awful things, I was twice as disappointed in myself for caring so much.

I admitted it. Paul was the one person who was out of my control, and probably always would be. He awakened my fear of losing everything I'd worked so hard for. He'd cracked through my fearless cover, and exposed the terrified little girl underneath.

I looked at the book. It belonged to him, and he'd want it back. But I really didn't want to give it back. Not after everything he'd said and done. Maybe I was being childish, but I didn't care. I wanted him to miss the book. I wanted him to hurt because it was gone. I wanted him to feel some of the pain he had made me to feel with his cruel words.

I reached for the book. My fingers touched the slick leather.

_What made him so special? How could Gary, Drew, or Ash put up with him? How could they like him? And Leaf, May, even Misty didn't see him for who he really was. Why was it just me? How could I be the only one who saw that cold fury he'd held inside his endless eyes?_

_What did he know? He claimed to care about music, but how could he? What made him capable to judge my music and say it was pathetic? How could he know what true music was?_

I grasped the book with my fingers, lifting it off of the bed.

_What was this anyway?_ It looked old, and some of the pages were sticking out. _Why would he need this?_

The depression I had found myself in suddenly wavered in favor of my familiar curiosity. _Was this book important to him? What could be inside?_

When we'd first met, I had seen the wall Paul surrounded himself with, and I remembered how I felt when seeing it. I'd wanted to see behind that wall so badly. Was this a way? Was this little black book a window through that wall?

I took the book in both of my hands. All the regular thoughts that should have been going through my head about invading privacy didn't come. My burning curiosity was too strong to fight. I cracked the cover of the book open to the first page.

_P.S_ were the initials on the first page, no doubt for Paul Shinji.

I should have done a lot of things that night. I should have put the book down. I should have left it where I'd found it in the courtyard. I should have given it to Drew to return to his roommate.

But I didn't do any of those things.

What I did do, was read it.

* * *

**The next morning**

I felt something ice cold against the back of my head and shot up with a scream. I looked around frantically, first spotting Piplup on the carpeted floor of my room. I looked up from there, and noticed a familiar red-head looking fairly pleased with herself.

"Misty, what are you-?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "I'm here to wake you up. I would have used Marill, but I figured it would be a more welcomed wake-up if it came from your own Pokémon."

"Pip-Piplup!" Piplup chimed in.

"You suck." I told her, brushing my hair with my hands. I put my hand down on the bed and felt something hard. I looked down and noticed the black book.

"Dawn? He-llo?" Misty snapped her fingers in front of my face.

"W-What?" I responded quickly, hiding the book under my blanket.

"Are you going to get ready, or what?" she asked, tapping her foot against the floor.

"Ready?" I questioned, not following.

"We were going to go hit the town today remember? We talked about this at dinner." She reminded me. To be honest, I was pretty much in a daze after my talk with Paul last night. I didn't even remember eating dinner let alone the conversation.

"Right." I said unconvincingly.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice laced with worry.

"Um," _No, not really, but I didn't want to talk about it_. "I'll get ready." I told her, getting up from my bed to head to my closet.

"Okay then." She said, her voice still sounding worried. She headed out of my room, closing the door behind her.

I went through the motions of getting ready. I took a short shower, just to wash my hair, and then blow-dried it. I put it up in a simply pony-tail. Then I put on white jeans and a sky blue ruffle shirt. I threw on a grey jacket over top and got my new white purse. I put in Piplup's pokéball after recalling him. I was about to turn away when my eyes landed on the bed.

I walked back towards it and lifted up the covers, seeing the black book just sitting there. I don't know what possessed me to, but I picked it up and put it in my purse as well. I felt safer having it with me.

I walked out of the room and saw my three best friends sitting on the furniture in the living room. Misty had on a white, one-shoulder shirt and boyfriend cut jeans, Leaf had on a black tank top with a green hoodie over it and distressed, light-washed jeans, and May had on a white and red blouse with grey jeans and her red bandanna. Misty looked up at me first and smiled, although I saw the hint of worry in her eyes.

"Are you ready?" she asked, causing the others to turn.

"Yup." I tried to say happily, but it came out a little strained.

* * *

We'd held off on breakfast until we got into the city. We all rode our bikes down into the heart of Hearthome, and locked them up beside the local library where we knew no one would mess with them.

Usually, when we went shopping I was the one who dragged my friends along with me, looking for the best sales and the best stores, but today I trailed behind, following wherever they wanted to go. Leaf and May seemed to enjoy their freedom to choose what store we went to next, but Misty kept giving me worried glances out of the corner of her eye. I tried to smile at her, to show that nothing was wrong, but I couldn't keep it up for long before the corners of my mouth fell back down into a frown. I felt so conflicted.

We were hanging out in a lingerie store when Misty finally pulled me aside.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" she asked.

I was about to ask what she was talking about, but I knew lying to her would get me nowhere. I nodded my head.

"Hey guys, we're going to get something to drink. How about we meet you at the corner in about 20 minutes?"

"Okay, sounds good." May called.

Misty grabbed hold of my wrist and led me outside the store. In her defense, she really did buy us drinks. She bought a blue Gatorade for herself and a Sprite for me. Across the street from the corner where we were going to meet May and Leaf was a short wall surrounding the entrance to Amity Square. We both sat on the wall, Misty taking a sip of her Gatorade while I just stared at the silver pop can in my hands.

"Alright, start talking D. You've been looking like you're going to be sick all day. Tell me what's wrong." Misty demanded.

I almost smiled. Misty was such a stark contrast to Leaf. Where Leaf was calm and collected, Misty was fierce and blunt. She didn't beat around the bush, and she always knew when something was wrong.

And I knew she was right. Keeping all my feeling inside was making me sick. So I told her. I recounted the events of yesterday's argument, from my conversation with the guys to the lashing I'd gotten from Paul. The entire time Misty was silent, listening intently and never interrupting. When I was done, she looked at me with soft eyes and put her arm around me.

"Oh Dawn, I'm sorry." She said as she leaned her head against mine.

Another difference between Misty and Leaf was that Misty was always loyal to her friends, and put them above everything else. I wasn't saying Leaf was a bad friend or anything; in fact she was one of the best friends I'd ever had. But she never picked sides. No matter what the issue, she would always stay objective and try to find common ground. Most of the time that was a good thing, but sometimes, I just needed someone who was on my side only, and Misty was the perfect friend for that.

"Do you want me to beat him up for you?" she asked. I giggled a bit at that, glad to be smiling sincerely for the first time all day.

"There's that smile we've been missing all day." Misty beamed as she hugged me.

"Thanks Misty." I replied. "Misty, do you think I'm a good singer?" I asked.

"I don't think, I know. You can't let what Paul said bring you down. You have a great voice D." she stated.

I smiled at her, feeling a little bit more confident in myself. I opened my Sprite and took a sip, enjoying the bubbles that danced across my tongue. It was then that we spotted May and Leaf standing on the corner, and crossed the street to meet them.

"Well, it looks like someone's feeling better." May said cheerfully. "Did you get some Misty Magic?"

"You could say that" I voiced.

I felt better after talking with Misty, but I still had a problem to solve. When we went to get lunch, I told May and Leaf what I told Misty, bringing them up to speed.

"That's so awful! How could he say that to you!?" May shrieked. Leaf was silent, thinking things through.

"He was always so quiet. Even I never expected him to say stuff like that." Misty interjected.

"If only we knew." Leaf murmured.

"Knew what?" I asked.

"It's true that we haven't known Paul for very long, so it's not like any of us can judge his character very well, but it still seems like a strange reason to get mad about." Leaf theorized. Just like usual, she was staying neutral. Even when Paul chewed me out in the worst possible way, she still coudn't bring herself to turn against him. This irked me a little.

"Maybe there was a reason he didn't want to join the guy's band." Leaf concluded.

"Or, maybe he's just a jerk!" I shouted, not liking how Leaf was defending him again.

"Dawn…" Leaf trailed off.

"The truth is, I need your guy's help." I said, pulling out the black book from my purse and putting it on the silver table we were sitting at in the Sunset Café.

"What is that?" May asked.

"It's Paul's. He dropped it yesterday, and now I don't know what to do with it." I explained.

"Why don't you give it back?" May asked.

"Because I really don't want to see him again, or ever for that matter." I said, burying my face in my arms on the table.

Besides, the feeling was mutual. Paul wanted me to stay away from him, and I wanted to do just that. But then I thought about Drew, Ash, and Gary. I liked them all; we had really gotten close in our freshman year, and I really didn't want to stop seeing them just because I couldn't stand their new friend. And that book was the only thing connecting me to Paul. If I lost that, then I'd never get to hang out with the guys again. And did I really want to leave things the way they were with Paul after what I'd read in that book?

"Well then why don't you give it to me? I'll give it back to him." Leaf suggested, reaching for the black book. My hand automatically shot out and covered the book, keeping it flat on the table. The girls all looked at me with surprised stares.

"Sorry." I said, keeping my hand on the book.

"Dawn, is there something you're not telling us?" Misty questioned.

I looked down at my lap, shame and embarrassment present on my face.

"Dawn, what is it?" Leaf asked seriously. I looked up at all my friend's faces. I took a deep breath, steeling myself.

"I read it." I told them, holding their eyes for as long as I could.

"You didn't." Leaf said, hoping that I was joking.

"I did." I said, looking back down at the table.

"What does it say?" May asked.

"MAY!" Leaf scolded. "That's none of our business!"

I stayed silent, listening to their argument.

"But Dawn already read it!"

"That doesn't mean we need to know what she read! It's an invasion of privacy."

"Well, Paul turned our friend in to a depressed zombie for a day, I think reading his secret black book should even things out."

"That is _so_ not how it works!"

"Guys!" Misty yelled, getting them to quiet down.

"How about you just tell us what he used it for. Is it like a journal, or a to-do list or what?" Misty asked. May looked intrigued while Leaf just looked guilty.

"It's a music book." I admitted. "It's filled with song lyrics."

Leaf blew out a sigh of relief. May looked a bit disappointed, probably hoping for some juicy gossip.

"Well, that's not so bad right? So what's the big deal then?" Misty asked.

I looked down at the book under my hand. I had struggled coming to terms with what I'd read in there, and now, trying to explain it to my friends, I could no longer deny what reading those songs had made me feel.

"They were beautiful." I admitted, not meeting any of their eyes. I could sense my friends exchanging looks with each other. I continued.

"I only read the first few pages, but what I did read were some of the most wonderful songs I'd ever read. I had no idea that Paul could write like that."

And it was all true. The first song in the book wasn't finished, but I read two other songs on the next two pages, and I couldn't put it down. I'd spent an hour just re-reading those two songs over and over again, never having either of them lose their meaning.

"Now, I don't know what to do. After yesterday, I hated Paul. I thought he was nothing but a cold, cruel, heartless prick! But, after reading that book…"

"You're conflicted." Leaf finished for me. "You don't know what to feel because he was mean to you, but he's also talented."

"Guys, these songs are **really **good. I think they're better than mine, which means Paul will be really hard competition. And…. That scares me." I admitted.

The girls looked at each other again.

"I think you need to take it to him." Misty said. I looked at her in bewilderment, shocked that she would be the one to say that.

"You need to confront him. Maybe if you take him the book, you can start to get over these feelings." She suggested.

I didn't want to go see him. After the way he talked to me, I was dreading it. But I knew Misty was right. I needed to confront this. I wouldn't run away.

We rode our bikes back to the dorm when we were finished and locked them in front of Valor Hall. I asked Drew via text message where his roommate was, and he texted me back that he had gone to the studio. I bid goodbye to my friends and walked towards the studio building.

My feeling of nausea got worse and worse the closer I got. Fear grew in the pit of my stomach at seeing him again. I didn't want a repeat of yesterday. I had barely survived those insults the first time, and I didn't think I could go through it again. But the stubborn part of me wanted to confront Paul, stand up to him, and show him that he couldn't hurt me like that ever again. It was that part of me that kept my legs moving forward.

I walked through the doors of the beige and white studio building and made my way to the elevators. I pressed the up button and stepped inside when the doors opened. I swiped my card and selected the B floor. When the elevator door opened again, my heart was pounding in my chest like a drum.

I walked slowly down the hall and rounded the corner. I stopped walking when I got to studio B3. I stood in front of the door, trying to work up the courage to swipe my card and open the door, but I was afraid.

_No, _I thought to myself, _don't be scared. Be brave. Be the Pop Princess you know you are!_

I swiped my card through the card reader, unlocking the door. I was about to push it open, but I froze when I heard it.

Someone was playing the guitar, and I was pretty sure I knew who it was. But it wasn't the gentle strumming I had heard the day before, it was actual playing. I opened the door a crack and peered in.

I saw Paul, dressed in all black and sitting on a stool in the studio room. He was playing his acoustic guitar with a level of concentration I had never seen before. The song he was playing seemed so sad. I closed my eyes and just listened.

It was so pretty, this sound. I could feel the emotion that went into it flowing through my body. Sadness, loss, and just the slightest ray of hope. I had heard people play guitar before, but never like this. It was like he was translating his emotions through the cords he played.

While listening, a spike of pain went through my heart, and spread across my chest. _What was that? _I thought to myself.

He stopped playing suddenly.

"I know you're there." He spoke aloud. I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my lips.

I knew the meeting was inevitable, so I slowly pushed the door open, stepping into the studio. I closed the door behind me but I didn't turn to face him. I was starting to think that this may have been a bad idea.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly. I hadn't expected anything less, but I still couldn't help the chill that ran down my spine at his tone.

"I….um…" was all I could manage.

I didn't know what to say. What do you say to the guy who told you he never wanted to see you again? My back was still to him, but I could feel his gaze on me. Cool and collected, waiting for an explanation.

I didn't know what came over me, but whenever I was around Paul I felt weak. The proud, fearless Pop Princess of HPAA vanished when I was in the presence of the violet haired stranger, and I became someone else. Someone vulnerable. I hated the way he made me feel. I finally turned around to face him, locking eyes with the one person who could get under my skin.

"I….needed to talk to you." I eventually said.

I must have run yesterday's conversation through my head a dozen times, but I still wasn't entirely sure what I needed to say. I might not feel like myself in front of Paul, but I still wanted an explanation for what happened yesterday. And I wasn't going anywhere until I got one.

"Yesterday," I started, "You told me to stay away from you."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, listening.

"But, I came to tell you that I can't do that." I said.

He didn't react; he just waited for me to continue.

"Drew is like a brother to me, and Gary and Ash are my friends too. And if you're going to be friends with them, then you and I are going to be seeing a lot of each other. I won't sacrifice my friendship with them just because we don't get along."

"Funny, weren't you the one who claimed I didn't deserve friends like those three just yesterday?" he interjected.

I clenched my fist, fighting the urge to yell. If I lost my cool now and got into an argument, I would never be able to say what I needed to say, or get the answers I sought.

"I was angry." I strained to say.

"That much was clear." He responded.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. I remembered what Leaf had said at lunch. She had talked about Paul having a reason for turning the guys down. I realized then that maybe I wanted to know why too.

"I assumed you were hurting them for no reason. But I was wrong to jump to conclusions." I stated. I still couldn't choke out the words 'I'm sorry' to him. I was still hurt from his words yesterday. "But that's why I came here. I realized that I hadn't asked you if you had a reason for turning them down."

"You were a little busy if I recall, throwing around insults." He stated bitterly.

I flinched at the memory and looked down at the wooden floor of the studio room.

"Do you?" I asked quietly. "Have a reason, I mean?"

He turned his head to look at me straight on. His eyes were still shielded, but they weren't angry or cold anymore. He was looking at me, studying my face with suspicion. His face changed to that of intrigue when he didn't find what he was looking for.

"A reason huh?" Paul turned his face to look at the ceiling. He looked like he was thinking. I watched him, waiting for an answer.

"Security." He eventually stated.

"Huh?" I blurted out, utterly confused.

"I don't have much experience playing with other people. Those three have been together for a while so it makes sense that they would work well together as a band. But I haven't known them for that long. It would be safer for all of us if they just formed a band together, and I performed on my own."

I was startled by his words. His reasoning was so simple. I had assumed that from the way he had treated me and how sad the guys looked when he had told them no, that he had done it to hurt them. But I was wrong. No wonder he had gotten so mad at me. Things were starting to make sense.

I reached down into my purse and grabbed the black book. His reason gave me the courage to do the right thing.

"I think this belongs to you." I said, holding the book in front of me so he could see it.

His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the book in my hand.

"You found it," he breathed.

I had only ever seen Paul look angry before, but the only emotion he wore on his face in that moment was relief. He put down his guitar and made his way over to me.

"You dropped it yesterday." I said.

He reached out and took hold of the book in my hand. I let go of the book, letting him take it from me. He flipped through it; probably making sure everything was still there as he walked back to the center of the room near the stool and the newly situated piano.

From him, I hadn't expected a thank you, but I wasn't nearly as mad about not receiving one as I'd thought I'd be. But, watching him flip through the book with those songs, I knew there was one more thing I needed to ask of him.

"Paul?" I said, causing him to face me again.

I looked at him shyly. "Play for me?" I asked.

He looked confused and surprised. He was pretty good at masking his emotions though, so they disappeared from his face almost as quickly as they'd appeared.

"Why?" he asked.

I worked up my courage as high as it would go, and took a few steps towards him.

"You told me that my song was empty remember? If it is, then prove it. I want to know what you think real music is."

He looked at me curiously, probably wondering if I was serious or not. He didn't move from his spot in the middle of the room while he watched me.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" he finally questioned.

Now it was my turn to think about my answer. _Why did I want to know? Why did I want to hear him sing? Did I even know the answers to these questions?_ I decided on the only response that seemed reasonable, although I wasn't sure if it was the complete truth.

"Because I want to prove you wrong. You said my songs are empty, and I want to show you that they aren't. But to do that, I need to know what I'm up against. I want to know what you consider to be true music."

He thought about my request for a long while, just sitting there in the center of the room. But eventually, he looked over to meet my dark blue eyes, and nodded. I smiled, excitement running through me like electricity, and walked up a bit more to stand a few steps away from him. He picked his acoustic guitar back up and put the strap on over his shoulder. He found the fingering, and stated to play.

**(Wherever You Will Go, cover by Boyce Avenue. Only version of the song that makes sense in this scene)**

_[Paul]: So lately, I've been wondering  
Who will be there to take my place  
When I'm gone, you'll need love  
To light the shadows on your face_

_If a great wave shall fall_  
_It would fall upon us all_  
_And between the sand and stone_  
_Could you make it on your own?_

_If I could, then I would_  
_I'll go wherever you will go_  
_Way up high or down low_  
_I'll go wherever you will go_

_And maybe, I'll find out_  
_A way to make it back someday_  
_To watch you, to guide you_  
_Through the darkest of your days_

_If a great wave shall fall_  
_Yeah, It would fall upon us all_  
_Well I hope there's someone out there_  
_Who can bring me back to you_

_If I could, then I would_  
_I'll go wherever you will go_  
_Way up high or down low_  
_I'll go wherever you will go_

_Runaway with my heart_  
_Runaway with my hope_  
_Runaway with my love_

_I know now, just quite how_  
_My life and love might still go on_  
_In your heart and your mind_  
_I'll stay with you for all of time_

_If I could, then I would_  
_I'll go wherever you will go_  
_Way up high or down low_  
_I'll go wherever you will go_

_If I could turn back time_  
_I'll go wherever you will go_  
_If I could make you mine_  
_2x I'll go wherever you will go_

During the song, I had closed my eyes and put my hand over my heart. The lyrics resonated with the constant thumping in my chest, and the guitar hummed in my ears filling my head with its beautiful melody. The song filled the room with its intensity and its emotion. It made me feel things I had never imagined I could. But when it was over, I couldn't contemplate why I felt so sad. And deep inside my heart, I couldn't shake the feeling of longing that rang through my veins.

_But why?_ I thought. _Why was I feeling this way?_

I opened my eyes to see Paul watching me with his emotionless onyx eyes. I became self-conscious rather quickly.

"Thanks." I quickly stated, looking away from him.

He didn't say anything. If I was conflicted when I came in here, then now I was completely torn. I didn't know what to think of this guy. First he saves me, then he barely talks to me, then he insults me, then he argues with me, then he chews me out and tells me to stay away from him, and now he's sung for me. Paul Shinji was one big mystery, and I didn't know what he was to me. Was he a rival, enemy, acquaintance? He certainly wasn't my friend, but then what was he?

Not like it mattered now though. I had said what I needed to say. I wasn't going to stop being friends with the guys, and I think he accepted that. Plus, I had returned the book. I considered walking away, since I didn't have anything left to give him, but something nagged at the back of my head. It was his reason for not wanting to join the band. He decided it would be safer to play on his own, and maybe it would be, but looking at him now sitting alone in the studio practicing, I couldn't help but wonder if this was what he wanted. He never said he didn't want to join the band, only that it would be safer if he didn't. But would he really be happy?

"You know," I said, not thinking about what I was saying or the repercussions it may have, "The band program is a big risk to take."

Paul looked back at me, confused as to why I was still here.

"But don't you think, that taking that chance with guys like Drew, Ash and Gary might make the risk worth it?"

Paul didn't say anything. He just sat there staring at me, contemplating the words I had just spoken. Realistically, if he did join a band with those three, it would make all four of them even bigger competition for me in the long run. But at the moment, I didn't really care about that.

"But it was just a thought." I concluded. "See you later." I said, as I walked towards the studio doors and out into the hall.

I exited the studio building and just walked for a while. Today had been a roller-coaster of a day. This morning I had woken up sad and depressed, then I was scared and timid, and now I was strangely at peace. Thinking back on all the encounters I'd had with Paul, today was the first time the two of us had had something resembling an actual conversation. I wasn't sure what role Paul would end up playing in my life, but I felt a little more at ease with our relationship after today. If you could even call what we had a 'relationship'.

It took me 20 minutes to walk back to Valor Hall, all of which was very calm and peaceful. But as soon as I got within sight of the building, I was surprised to see what I saw.

Ash was attempting to do a cartwheel on the grass outside of the dorm, going down towards the courtyard, but it didn't look like he was succeeding. Drew and Gary laughed at his failed attempt, but none of them looked like they had yesterday. They were all smiling, and they didn't look depressed at all. Had they really gotten over Paul's rejection so fast? I walked over to the three.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" I asked.

"We're celebrating Miss Berlitz, JOIN US!" Gary yelled as he walked up to me and knocked my legs out from under me, carrying me bridal style and swinging me around in circles.

"Gary! Put me DOWN!" I yelled, getting dizzy from his antics. He stopped and set me down on the ground. "What are you talking about?"

"He reconsidered!" Drew informed me. "I don't know how or why, and frankly I don't care, but Paul changed his mind! He's gonna join the band!"

I couldn't believe it. Had Paul already changed his mind before I talked to him, or was this a recent thing? Man, if he reconsidered before I went to talk to him, then I would feel like a total idiot.

"Congratulations guys." I told them, but then turned to Drew. "But, when did he change his mind?"

"Like, ten minutes ago. He called from the studio to tell us." Drew responded.

"We are going to ROCK with him in the band!" Ash screamed as he threw his arms around his two best friends.

All I could do was smile.

Ten minutes. He had changed his mind ten minutes after talking to me. Seeing the guys so happy made me smile even wider. I don't think I'd ever be able to control Paul Shinji, but just this once, I had changed his mind. And I think that for now, this victory would be enough for me.

**A/N: And the character development continues. I liked this chapter, even if Leaf kind of is annoying, but honestly I think I base her actions off of my own a little bit. My two best friends would fight all the time, and I would always be the mediator. I never picked sides because I loved them both, but I knew they both always kind of wished I would side with them. Don't hate her yet, she hasn't been developed enough. Sorry about the delay again, but I'm not going to have any time to update. But I promise, 2 chapters in 2 weeks!**

**And for all you Contestshippers out there, I can promise you that next time you will be getting some prime insight into Drew and May's minds, because I'll be writing from their points of view next chapter. I got a review that said Drew was a bit OOC, so I'm gonna try and explain why he's like that next chapter. Also, don't forget to send me your prank ideas! I'll make sure to mention your name if I use your idea in the story! OK, hope you liked this chapter. Until next time lovely readers! 3**


	12. Challenge Accepted

**A/N: Cue the Eye of the Tiger soundtrack and get ready to cheer because I AM BACK READERS!** **YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! Oh my god, you have no idea how good this feels. Hello my lovely readers and welcome back to the fictional story written by a fan for fans entitled Heroes Grace! I am coming to you from Brisbane, Australia and I am so relieved to be getting back on track with you guys!**

**So let me get you up to speed. I did not get a new laptop, but my hard drive was saved from my old one. All the info is in there, I just couldn't access it because something was wrong with the machine itself. It's a technological mystery that may never be solved. SO there I was, saddened by the loss of my laptop and without a way to get my story up and running again, when an idea started to form in my mind. You see I'd been having trouble with the laptop earlier this summer, and my father had recommended that I start backing up my story on my USB stick just in case it couldn't be fixed. It was a long shot, but it made me hopeful. So I dug around my belongings, luggage and purse, and low and behold I REMEMBERED to bring the USB with me! So I plugged it into my friends laptop and checked the files. And there they were! I hadn't gotten as far in writing as the file on my laptop, but the chapter was still somewhat written! So I started from there, re-wrote some stuff, and finished!**

**So no, I don't and won't have a laptop of my own for the foreseeable future, but I am welcome to write on my friends laptop whenever I want! Sadly I won't be updating as much as I used to, i.e, every week, but this is better than not getting to update at all!**

**I'm looking forward to reading your reviews again and I hope that these chapters were worth the wait. Now without further ado, onto the story!**

Chapter 12: Challenge Accepted

**Drew**

"10 bucks says her voice gives first." Gary said

"No way, I've seen Dawn talk for hours, he's going to crack." Misty responded

"Doubt it. I live with the guy, and he can go days without saying anything." I interjected.

"Care to bet on that?" May suggested.

Seven of us were in the studio after school on Wednesday. Now that Paul had agreed to join our band, we wanted to practice as much as possible before we auditioned, plus he was starting to teach us some of the songs he'd written.

The four of us had come to the studio after school to rehearse, but little did we know that some of the girls had the same idea. The only one who wasn't around was Leaf, who was off working on some art project for her class. But May, Dawn and Misty had all shown up the same time we had. May had wanted to practice the piece she had picked for her performance at the Diamond concert, and Misty had agreed to help Dawn with her dance routine.

Although technically we were here first, those girls were stubborn when it came to rehearsal time. Dawn had gone on and on about needing to practice more if she was going to put on the perfect performance, which led Paul to make some off-handed comment about how no amount of practice would make her shallow song bearable to listen to, which lead us to where we were now.

Dawn was currently ranting angrily and insulting him creatively while Paul was just leaning back against one of the beige walls of the studio. I wasn't even sure he was listening anymore the way his eyes were closed. Strangely enough, for a few days after Paul joined the band, those two actually acted almost civilly around each other but that obviously hadn't lasted long. And while we should have been practicing, the five of us left were just far too interested to see what would happen next between our two friends

"…You don't have respect for anyone else's performance or their genre of music! Well who died and made you God of all music huh!? Would it really kill you to open your mind to other kinds of music besides your own!? Oh just wait until the Diamond concert, and then I'll prove you wrong once and for all!" Dawn shouted, breathing heavily afterwards.

Paul opened his eye a crack. "Are you done?" he asked.

"…..Maybe." Dawn murmured, turning around to put her back to him.

"Good, you guys ready to practice?" he asked us.

"Hey, what about us!?" May asked angrily.

"You can't just kick us out like that!" Misty interjected.

"I hate to say it, but we were here first. Although I do agree that February needs all the practice she can get." I commented.

"And what is THAT supposed to mean!?" May yelled in my face.

"Well, I did beat you in ranking last year. And now that our band will be competing, you're going to have to work a whole lot harder if you hope to even come close to our new rank." I explained.

I knew that would rile her up, which was pretty much what I lived to do.

"Well we'll just see about that! Just because you guys are a band now, doesn't make you automatically better than everyone else!" May pointed out.

"Perhaps not everyone, but it's still highly likely that we're better than a certain bandanna wearing pianist." I smirked.

"You are such a brat sometimes!" May screamed.

_Aahh, there's the anger I was looking for. Sometimes she just makes it too easy._

"Come on guys, getting the studio isn't worth putting up with this. We'll just book it for tomorrow." Misty said.

Begrudgingly, May and Dawn followed Misty out of the studio room. I felt a bit disappointed that I hadn't gotten to rile May up a little more, but I would no doubt be able to do that later.

"Earth to rich-boy!" Gary said as he snapped his fingers in front of my face, bringing me out of my daze. "We gonna do this or what?" he asked, plugging in his electric.

I glanced at the door the girls had left through one more time before turning back to the guys.

"Yeah, let's get started."

* * *

A few hours later and we were back at the dorm. Paul had gone off to his room to work so I didn't want to disturb him. When he joined the band he showed us some of the songs he'd written and they were all really good. We'd asked him if we could perform some of them together, which he didn't initially have a problem with, but it did mean he'd have to re-write the music to work for four instruments instead of just one. I think it was proving to be a lot of work for him.

But I had to give the guy credit; he didn't do anything half-way. The guys and I would help with the writing sometimes since we all knew how to write music, but most of the time he preferred to work alone. I kind of respected that.

There wasn't a whole lot for me to do for the rest of the night, so I decided to go take a walk. I had to hand it to this school; the campus really was beautiful, especially in fall.

The trees were all turning different shades of red, orange and gold. I could hear the crunch of leaves underneath my feet as I walked under the maples trees lining the entrance to Valor Hall.

Maple.

_May Maple._

I shook my head to banish her from my thoughts. Everything reminded me of that girl and it was starting to get on my nerves. Lately I'd been starting to slip when I was around her, acting a bit too nice when I knew I should be insulting her. But ever since I'd made that discovery at the end of freshman year, it was getting harder and harder to ignore my revelation.

I liked her.

I knew I liked her, although I had been in denial for a long time. Actually, I still denied it to everyone who even inferred that I had feelings for her, so I guess in a way I still was in denial. But despite not wanting anyone, most of all May, to know how I really felt, I really couldn't lie to myself anymore no matter how much I wanted to. I ask myself everyday _what_ exactly could have made me fall for a girl like that.

May was a lot of things. She was an air-head, she ate too much, she loved to argue, and she had the cruelest sense of humor. But for what she lacked in book-smarts, she made up for in talent. And if I had only one word to describe her, I'd say she was fun.

Somehow my feelings snuck up on me. I wasn't really sure how it had happened, considering how things started between us.

But a lot had changed in a year.

First off, I had grown up rich. Money ran in my family. The Hayden's owned a chain of hotels that spanned across multiple regions. I was an only child, and a lot had been expected of me from the time I was born.

But the truth was, if you thought growing up with money meant you'd be happy, you thought wrong.

My father was the CEO of his company, and my mother had a seat on the board of directors. This meant that they were always working, and always traveling. Both of them were rarely home, sometimes being away for months at a time. This left me, well, alone for most of my life.

I fell in love with the piano when I was very young. My mother, on one of her rare visits home, had taken me to a piano concert when I was around five years old. Ever since then I had wanted to learn how to play.

I found comfort in music, so I'd spent all of my time practicing. I had the best teachers money could buy, and nothing but time to learn. I learned how to play all of the classic pieces from Mozart to Bach. Eventually I got so good that I started writing my own songs. Piano was my whole life.

Making friends wasn't something I'd been good at. When you had as much money as my family did, it was hard to know when someone truly wanted to be your friend, or if they were just hanging around you because you were rich. Of course I'd had fans, but that wasn't really the same as having friends. For a while though, I believed there wasn't much of a difference between the two. I went to a private school in LaRousse city but still lived at home in my family's mansion. Until high school that is.

When I'd heard about Hearthome Academy, I jumped at the chance to go. I was already a prodigy at the piano, and I was rich enough to get in. Plus my parents weren't around most of the time, so they wouldn't miss me too much if I were in a different region. And so I left to follow my dreams.

And then I met her. And everything changed.

At first, I regarded her as I regarded everyone else. To me, people were either fans or fakes. If they were fans, they would complement me, ask for autographs, that sort of thing. All they wanted was to worship me, hoping I would give them the time of day. But a fake was harder to spot. They were the people who tried to get close to me by flattering me; trying to become my friend either for my money or for my fame. They tried to leech off me for their own personal gain. If I ever saw one of them I'd lash out at them with cruel words and promises of restraining orders of they ever tried talking to me again, and that frequently made them disappear. But May surprised me.

She didn't fawn over me like the other girls, and she didn't cower in fear when I insulted her. Instead she shook the insults off and fought back. She fell into neither category, which made her an anomaly. A very interesting one.

Since then, I paid attention to her performances more than anyone else's. She reminded me a bit of myself when I was younger. Ambitious, with a raw love of music. And gradually, she grew stronger in her performances as time went on. It was nice having a rival. It was nice to have some competition.

But it grew from there. May liked to argue, which was something no one had ever done with me. I remember liking to argue with her because it was a new experience. No one I had met in my whole life could put up a fight like she could. She saw through all the bravado I put on and saw the real me. And she did _not_ like what she saw.

I don't remember who started the prank war a year ago, or how it even began. I just remembered that pranking her was another way besides arguing to make her mad at me. And I liked it when she got mad. She was cutest when she was angry.

But when she retaliated, it was different. I remember the first time she got back at me, and I remember feeling angry and embarrassed, but neither emotion had lasted that long. When she pranked me back for the first time last year, that had been the first time I had ever heard her laugh. It was the first time I had seen her smile like that.

And so we kept it up. On the outside, I may still get mad when she beats me, or laugh at her expense, but on the inside, I'm genuinely enjoying myself. May was the first person who taught me how to have fun.

I think my subconscious brain knew what my feelings were before I did, because I always left her roses whenever I pranked her. I told myself that it was ironic, because roses were usually something a girl would want from a guy, and I was only giving them to her when I caused her embarrassment. Now I gave them to her without lying to myself.

And through May I had met the others. I liked Dawn and Leaf just fine. Dawn was like a little sister to me. But through May I'd also met Misty, which led me to meet Ash and Gary. They were the first two real friends I'd ever had. They liked me for me instead of my money or my fame.

But despite my epiphany over the summer, when I realized how much I missed her, nothing had changed _between us_. She still only saw me as an arrogant jerk who loved to insult her. And to be fair, that is who I am. It's just not all I am.

I want things to change, but I don't know how to change them. I had a pretty hard time accepting this myself. Even now I still couldn't fully understand why the world had picked such an obviously flawed human being for me to have feelings for, but I simply couldn't change the way I felt.

Sure, I was still arrogant. I knew I was probably the best pianist at this school, not including May who was also pretty good. I knew I was one of the most attractive of the male students, as I still had my fan-girls even at this school. But I didn't date much. All of my time was committed to either school, music, or this complicated thing I had going on with May.

I wanted to change things, but I just didn't know how.

"DREW!" Someone shouted as they jumped on my back.

I turned my head to look at the person and was blinded by blue hair.

"Dawn, you almost gave me a heart attack!" I said, still trying to catch my breath from her sneak attack.

"Wow, you must have been really out of it. I called to you like five times before I jumped you." Dawn said, her arms still hanging around my neck.

"Seriously?" I asked as she got off my back.

"Yup! So what were you thinking so hard about?" she asked as she came around to face me.

She was wearing black leggings under jean shorts, and she had on a pink hoodie with white, fake fur lining. She wore her favorite purple high-tops on her feet. Meanwhile I was wearing grey jeans, a dark blue shirt and my black leather jacket over top. It was fall after all, so everyone had started to dress warmer.

"Just stuff. You guys aren't still mad that we kicked you out of the studio are you?" I asked.

"No, not anymore. I get that you guys need to practice, especially now that your roommate has joined your band." Dawn said.

"Are you now refusing to refer to him by name?" I asked while I smirked.

Dawn scowled. "I just don't get why you all think he's so great. I get that you have to live with him and all, but he and I just don't get along." she explained.

I still felt kind of bad for not comforting her more when what happened between her and Paul happened. I genuinely felt bad for her when Paul bashed her music. I had gotten pretty close to Dawn during freshman year, but it was a hard call to make.

On one hand, Dawn was like my sister, and I wanted to defend her, but the way she was acting was pretty out of line. And although Paul had said some really mean things, Dawn had provoked him, and he was my roommate. I had to live with the guy, and that would prove to be hard if I got on his bad side.

Not to mention, Paul, in his own way, kind of reminded me of how I was when I first got here. He obviously tried to keep people out, and I had been alone for a long time growing up. So I wanted to be his friend the way Gary and Ash had been mine. And to an extent, it had worked, although he still kept to himself a lot.

So for the most part, I'd just stayed out of it. Besides, Dawn was one of the strongest people I knew. I knew she could take care of herself.

"He-llo!" Dawn said, waving her hand in front of my face.

"Sorry, what?" I stuttered.

"What's with you today? You can't go five seconds without zoning out on me."

"Sorry Dawn. Guess I'm just somewhere else today." I apologized.

"Is something wrong?" she asked me, worry flickering in her eyes. "Is it Paul? Is he being a jerk again!? Because just say the word and I'll go and beat him with that stupid guitar of his!"

I laughed at the image of Dawn trying to take Paul in a fight. Even though Paul was bigger than her by quite a lot, I had seen Dawn pissed before and it was not a pretty sight. If I had to guess I'd say it would be a pretty fair fight.

"Although that would be freaking hilarious to see, I don't think I should give you any more reasons to go picking fights with Paul. And to answer your question no, Paul reserves his bad attitude for you and you alone." I explained while ruffling her hair a bit.

"Lucky me." Dawn deadpanned.

We walked together for a while, getting the occasional envious glare from multiple female students along the way. But Dawn wasn't easily intimidated, and she met those glares head on. I let her steer the conversation mostly, occasionally responding to her questions with quick answers before she went off talking again. I had to try harder than I cared to admit to listen to the conversation instead of letting my thoughts travel back Dawn's brunette room-mate.

She mainly talked about the new songs she'd gotten from the Match program. The match program was something the school ran that helped out students who had trouble in the writing department of the music program.

The school encouraged original work from the student's to get them used to the idea of writing their own material for when they went out into the industry, but not all the students were as talented at writing as they were with singing or playing an instrument. Of course you could also choose to perform a piece of music that was famous or performed by a professional, but originality was supported more. That's where the Match program came in. If a student wrote a song in a creative writing class or for a project and didn't want to perform it themselves, they could donate it to the program. From there, anyone in the school could pick up the song and re-write it or perform it in any style they wanted. You could even write songs for the match program voluntarily to receive extra credit. Dawn was one of the people who had trouble writing her own songs. She hadn't even originally performed pop music when she came to this school, but when she tried out the match program and sung her first pop song, she got massively good feedback. And in the end, it helped her win last year's showcase.

People who participated in the program weren't any less talented than student's who didn't, I personally just didn't have that problem. I loved to write music, it was a challenge and it was very satisfying when a song came together in the end. Dawn and I were just different in that respect.

Eventually, we made it back to the dorm without me even realizing it. I really was zoning out a lot today. Maybe I was coming down with something.

We walked into the lobby and immediately noticed three familiar guys exiting the elevator. It was Ash, Gary and Paul.

"Hey guys!" I called out, causing them to turn.

"Hey Drew and Dawn!" Ash greeted as we made our way over to them. "We were about to go get dinner, you guys wanna come?"

"Sure, I could eat." I said.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass." Dawn responded. "I promised May that we'd go get something together after I got back from meeting with the mixers."

"Are you even speaking English anymore?" Paul questioned.

"WHO ASKED YOU ANYWAY!?" Dawn yelled.

"Translate." Paul directed the request at me.

"The mixers are the people who go to this school for the more technical side of music. They do stuff like recordings and mixing songs. They make the background tracks for people like Dawn to sing to." I explained.

Paul raised his right eyebrow in an "are you kidding me" expression before turning back to Dawn. I knew immediately that this wasn't going to end well.

"Figures." Paul said, causing Dawn to glare venomously at him.

"And what does that mean!?" she asked angrily.

"It means that I'm not surprised someone who doesn't write her own songs can't perform her own music either. You just have everything done for you don't you?"

"Here we go." Gary murmured.

"And so **what** if I don't do any of that stuff? There are tons of professional artists who don't do that kind of thing either, so why is it such a big crime that I don't!?" Dawn shot back at him.

"The difference is that those artists actually worked hard to get to where they are in life, which means that at one point they would have had to put some actual effort into their music. You on the other hand do not work hard or put any noticeable effort into your music whatsoever." Paul explained.

The more Paul spoke the more Dawn's head looked like it was about to explode. I was pretty sure I knew what was coming so I moved behind her.

"That. Is. IT!" Dawn went to lunge at Paul but I hooked her arms from behind to hold her back.

"Let me go Drew! This guy deserves to have his throat ripped out! Let me at him! LET ME AT HIM!" Dawn ranted as she tried to kick Paul in the face. Paul didn't even flinch.

"For someone so obsessed with what other people think of her, you sure are making a scene." Paul commented.

Dawn instantly stopped thrashing around, one of her legs frozen in mid-air, and looked around. Surely enough we had attracted a crowd of students, intently watching the scene before us. Dawn glared at Paul, obviously embarrassed and blaming him.

"You know, as much as I would enjoy killing you, I think there's a more appropriate way to settle this." Dawn said as she straightened herself. I released my hold on her since she seemed to have calmed down.

"I am officially challenging **PAUL SHINJI!**" Dawn announced to the crowd.

The crowd of students surrounding us broke out into cheers of excitement. How could I have not seen this coming? Of course it would eventually come down to this. But while everyone looked excited, Paul looked absolutely confused.

"First challenge party of the year, ALL RIGHT!" Gary yelled.

"Has everyone lost it!?" Paul exclaimed.

I realized then that he was still new around here and didn't know what challenging meant. Well, I had basically explained everything else to the guy, might as well fill him in.

"A challenge is how the student's at this school resolve their problems. Instead of fighting, they hold a competition and whoever's better wins. Music program disputes are resolved with a sing-off. The competition is actually a good way to get out all the frustration without having to get violent." I said.

"And it also gives the student's and excuse to PAR-TAY!" Gary said. "And the faculty can't do anything about it! Challenge parties are within the school rules!"

"So that's why everyone is acting crazy." Paul said.

The crowd quieted and Dawn turned back to look at Paul.

"So, what's it gonna be?" she asked, a smirk playing on her lips.

Before Paul could say anything, a voice chimed in from beside him.

"Man," Gary chimed in. "I knew I'd get into another challenge party eventually, but I think a month into school is a new record!"

"What do you mean Gary?" Ash asked.

"Weren't you listening Ashy-boy? Dawn just challenged us!"

Confused murmurs spread throughout the crowd, meanwhile Dawn just looked shocked, but she quickly snapped out of it.

"W-Wait a minute, I just challenged Paul-" she started.

"Sorry Ms. Berlitz," Gary interrupted. "But in case you forgot, all four of us are one act now. You challenge one of us, you challenge all of us. Plus, this'll be great practice for when we audition!"

Ash mirrored my expression. We were both unsure about this. Ever since whatever the hell it was between Paul and Dawn started, we had tried our best to stay out of it, but now Gary looked like he was choosing sides _for _us. I really didn't want to go up against Dawn when this wasn't my fight, but Gary was right in a way. We were all one band now, and if we couldn't stick together, then we weren't going to go very far.

"Fine then." Dawn said suddenly, crossing her arms. "I get it. You are a band now so I guess it makes sense. So? What do you say? Do you accept the challenge?"

We all looked at Paul. "She challenged you first man, so you should decide." Gary said.

Paul looked at Dawn, his face an expressionless mask. He was quiet for a while, thinking over the proposal. The crowd waited furiously for his answer, until he said the words.

"I accept."

* * *

**May**

I yawned as my best friend scurried around the room, throwing colorful articles of clothing left and right like she was intentionally trying to bury the floor under them. It was way too early in the morning to be doing this, but Dawn wasn't the type of person to take "no" for an answer.

I had heard all the drama yesterday when Dawn came back to the room. She had challenged PAUL and his band to a sing-off on the roof! And she had scheduled it for Friday! I mean, I understood why she challenged Paul, he was being a total cold-hearted jerk towards her, but seriously, why did she need to pick an outfit when the thing wasn't until TOMORROW NIGHT!?

Obviously Dawn hadn't thought this all the way through because she was definitely panicking. She dragged me out of bed at 4 in the morning just to help her decide what she was going to wear! As I watched the waterfall of clothing flying out of her closet I was starting to drift. The colors all blurred together as I swayed back and forth, wanting nothing more than to crawl back into my soft bed and get a few more hours sleep before class started.

"MAY!" I heard along with a sharp *SMACK* that caused my head to snap up. I looked around wildly, wondering where I was for a few seconds before I glanced up at a very annoyed looking Dawn. It was only when I felt the pain on the right side of my head did I realize that Dawn had thrown a purse at me, and that's what had made the loud sound a few seconds earlier.

"What Dawn? I wasn't sleeping, honest..." I said while stifling a yawn. _Why did I have such high-maintenance friends?_

"Like hell you weren't! May this is really important! Not only do I need to decide whether I want to wear a two piece outfit or a one, I have to decide on shoes, how to wear my hair, how to do my make-up-"

"Isn't the whole point," I interrupted, "Of a challenge the performance? Have you even thought about what song you're going to sing?"

"I've narrowed it down to three choices. I'm going to need you to help me decide on that too."

"Daaaaawn!" I whined. "It's way too early for this. And the challenge isn't even until tomorrow!"

"Suck it up May! I'm in crisis mode here and I need my best friend in the whole, wide world to help me get through it. I need to pick an outfit now so I can use the rest of my time to practice!" Dawn said as she shifted through another pile of clothing.

"Dawn, you know I really shouldn't be one to talk, but I think you may have bitten off more than you can chew." I tried to reason. Truthfully, I was just trying to think of a reason to get her to let me go back to bed.

"May, don't be silly. I can totally take Paul and his band. I'm Pop Princess for Arceus' sake! I'm not ranked number one for nothing! Besides, this is the only way to finally show Paul that I am just as good a musician as he is!"

"I'm not saying you can't! It's just…um…well…" My mind was blanking. I wasn't reasonable like Leaf was; she could probably talk her way out of this situation easily. And I wasn't like Misty, who would just threaten Dawn with bodily harm if she didn't let her go back to bed.

But me, I was horrible at being put on the spot. I couldn't lie or be persuasive or anything like that! So how, I asked myself, could I possibly get Dawn to let me go back to sleep? I racked my brain for a few minutes, hoping a solution would just pop into my mind.

Then it hit me! If I could get Dawn to calm down, then she wouldn't be in panic mode anymore and I could go back to sleep!

Okay, great idea…but, how exactly would I do THAT!? Nice going brain, why can't you be good at problem solving and stuff!?

Okay, okay, think May. You know Dawn better than anyone. You can totally figure this out. Dawn is usually calmest, when she's confident. So, maybe if I flatter her and assure her that she'll win, she will become confident and calm down? But she already said she could take Paul, so wouldn't that mean she was already confident?

"May which do you like better?" Dawn asked, holding up one red halter top and a strapless white shirt.

"Dawn, are you afraid you won't win?" I asked instead of answering her question. Dawn looked shocked to hear me ask that.

"Why? Do you think I can't beat them or something?" She asked accusingly.

"I didn't say that! It's just that you're usually calm when you're confident and you're not very calm right now."

"I'm just-" Dawn hesitated. "I'm just really determined! Paul just keeps pushing me and pushing me and I've had it. But if I'm going to beat him tonight, then everything has to be perfect."

I smiled and stood up, making my way over to where Dawn stood.

"Dawn, everything's going to be fine. You're a great singer, and you'll look awesome in any one of these outfits. But if you don't sleep because you're busy being OCD, then you'll just tire yourself out." _I know I'm tired out already ,_I added in my head.

Dawn's face softened at my words. "Thanks May." she said, hugging me to her. "That means a lot. You're a really good friend."

"Don't mention it." I said. "Now, goodnight! See you in a few hours." I said as I made my way towards the door.

"And where do you think you're going?" Dawn said, causing me to freeze in place.

"Back to bed…? Hopefully…" I asked, turning back around.

"Nice try. But you still have to help me pick an outfit."

"B-B-But what about all the "good friend" stuff you just said!?" I stuttered, hoping she was joking.

"You are a good friend May. And as my good friend, it's only fair that you stay up with me to help me choose an outfit, kind of like the time I went with you to five different grocery stores looking for the "perfect" kind of cellophane wrap for that one prank you pulled on Drew."

"That was different! I didn't wake you up at 4 in the morning to go and buy it!"

"No, but you did keep us out until midnight looking and then got us locked out of the dorm because you forgot your key card in the room."

"…This is revenge isn't it?"

"Consider it more as cashing in a favor. We can be even after we find the right outfit. And NO sleeping on the job!" Dawn said.

"DAMN IT!"

* * *

I yawned for the bazillianth time that morning. Dawn had been true to her word, she made me stay up the whole time she went through outfit choices, never letting me doze off for even a second. By the time we had gotten everything all picked and I was allowed to go back to bed, my alarm clock went off.

I was so tired I had even considered skipping class to get some rest, but Dawn wouldn't let me do that either. Not only did I have three homework assignments to hand in, but I still had to choose my own outfit for the challenge party, not to mention do the homework I would no doubt get in class today. STUPID SCHOOL!

Man my best friend was evil. All I wanted was a reasonable eight hours of sleep, that's all! Was that so much to ask for!?

It was kind of grey today as I walked along the neatly paved sidewalks of the campus. Man I hoped it wouldn't rain. Not that it would affect the rooftop where the challenge was going to be held tomorrow since it was covered by that big dome, but I didn't like thunder and lightning very much. I pulled up the hood of my caramel colored jacket just in case. I was glad that even in my zombie-like state this morning I had had enough sense to slip on black jeans instead of a skirt or shorts as it was also cool and windy today. Even if the black jeans were ripped at the knee, they were still better than shorts. I still wore my red bandanna on my head just like I did every day. I smiled at the memory of the one who'd given it to me.

It was lunch at the moment and I was headed to the studio. I had slept through most of my classes, but I was still tired and I wasn't likely to be disturbed in the studio building. Who knew? Maybe no one would be able to find me and I'd be able to "accidentally" sleep through the rest of my classes.

But of course I hadn't skipped lunch. OH no, never, not in a million years would that ever happen. Anytime I got to eat was my favorite part of the day. But today, sleep took precedence. This was why I'd vacuumed up my cup of instant ramen like I was a starving person a few minutes earlier. No reason I couldn't sleep on a full stomach!

The building wasn't a very long walk from the main school building. I'd have taken my bike, but it was a less than ten minute walk and honestly I didn't think I'd be able to unlock my bike let alone ride it safely in the state of drowsiness I was in.

I made it to the building and went up in the elevator to the right floor. I giggled to myself, remembering the prank I'd pulled on Drew a while back. Not one of my most creative ideas, but it was satisfying none-the-less!

I swiped my card through the card reader and opened the door, only to hear music when I entered the room. But who was practicing at lunchtime?

I looked over to the center of the room and saw a familiar head of green hair sitting at the piano.

_Oh great,_ I thought, _not only am I not getting any sleep, the one preventing it is the one person I can't stand!_

Drew obviously hadn't heard me come in because he kept on playing. His fingers danced across the keys like it was the most natural thing in the world. I recognized the song as Clair de Lune, a personal favorite of mine. In fact despite my earlier sleepiness, listening to this soothing melody woke me right up. The piano really was a wonderful instrument. My mother had always loved how it sounded, which was one of the reasons I had learned how to play. It always made her so happy whenever I would play for her. But I had always been an oddity in my family, as no one had ever done music before I had. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I would be good enough to get into this school, but by some miracle they let me in.

I leaned up against the wall beside the door and just listened for a while. I may hate Drew, but I had to admit that he was a great pianist. He had obviously been at it a lot longer than me, and probably had some expensive training or something. I knew that, but I still hated it when he rubbed it in. I mean, he just flaunted how much better he was than me all the time, even though he knew that he had been trained by the best teachers in the world and I hadn't. He was just a show-off for no other reason than to make me feel inferior. Man I was glad that prank war started. It was a good way to vent my frustrations without killing him. Although it did get us in trouble sometimes. Most of the time it was worth it, as even though I didn't like being pranked very much, doing the pranking was super fun!

He finished the song. My first reaction was to sneak up behind him and give him a heart attack but I decided against it. My reflexes weren't in top form when I was sleep deprived. I thought I'd just sneak out before he noticed me, but my stealth skills were also pretty lacking and I banged my knee off of the doorframe.

"Ouch!" I yelped, pain flooding through my knee. I didn't hit it very hard, but it still hurt.

"Hello there." Drew said, turning around and noticing me. "To what do I owe the pleasure March?"

"My name is May, which you already know, and trust me the pleasure is all mine." I replied sarcastically.

"I know," he replied, flipping his hair away from his face. "But you still haven't answered my question as to what you're doing here."

"None of your…" My yawn interrupted my sentence. "Business."

Drew then got up from the piano bench and proceeded to walk over to where I was standing, where I was still rubbing my throbbing knee.

"Wow, you look terrible." He stated

I gasped, shocked at the blatant insult, and then punched him in the arm as hard as I could. I always knew Drew was a prick, but he'd never insulted me so bluntly before!

"OW!" he said while rubbing his arm.

"That's what you get for being so rude!" I yelled at him.

"Well excuse me, but those huge bags under your eyes and you incredibly messy hair is pretty noticeable." He commented.

"At least my hair is a normal color! Seriously, were you dropped in a vat of radioactive waste as a child!?"

"Please, you'd be lucky to have hair as great as mine. The color, which is natural FYI, just makes it that much more unique!"

"Please, if I woke up with that hair color I'd jump out a window." I commented.

"At least I don't look like I'm auditioning for the Walking Dead. Seriously, what's up with the dark circles?"

"Like you care." I shot back. "And you can blame your stupid roommate for the bags under my eyes. If he hadn't pissed off Dawn she wouldn't have challenged him and then I wouldn't have been woken up at 4 in the morning to help her pick a stupid outfit!"

"Riiiiiight." Drew said. "Excuse me for caring." He added under his breath, but I still heard it.

"You? Caring!? HA, that's a good one, who knew you were such a comedian." I said.

"Whatever, did you want something or not?" Drew said, turning away from me for some unknown reason.

"Well I wanted to get some sleep because I figured no one would be in here, but obviously that's not gonna happen, so I'll just go." I huffed, exasperate at his rudeness.

"Why don't you just go back to the dorms? If you're _that_ tired, the teachers will probably understand." He asked.

"Well not that it's any of your business, but I've got assignments to hand in and more homework to collect. And before you say anything, I can't do it later because I still need to pick a stupid outfit for the stupid challenge party and help Dawn pick a song to sing. I've got no time to sleep, and there's no way I'm missing the party tomorrow even if I'm dead tired." I explained, still standing in the doorframe.

"You know, you could just ask Dawn and Ash to hand in your assignments and get the new work from your other class's right? You've got history with her, lyrical with him, and Stage with both of them." Drew said.

I was about to say something snarky but it caught in my throat. Now that I thought about it, Drew was right. I could just give my homework assignments to Ash and Dawn to hand in and then have them get the work for me. I was a little afraid of trusting Ash to be responsible, but the risk might be worth it if it meant I could get out of class. And I _was_ dead tired. Maybe getting a few hours' sleep would be possible after all. But that only saved me from three of my classes.

"But I have Piano right after lunch, and none of my friends have that class." I pointed out, noting the flaw in his plan.

Drew looked uncertain for a minute and turned away from me, an action that confused me almost as much as the next words that came out of his mouth.

"I'll get the work for you."

He said it so quietly; I almost thought I'd imagined it. I MUST have imagined it for there couldn't be another explanation. Maybe I was still sleeping in one of my morning classes and this was all some crazy dream, because there was no way in hell that _Drew Hayden_ would voluntarily help me out with any problem I could possibly have.

Drew was the guy who would laugh at my problems and take pleasure in my misery. He was the guy who _caused_ most of the problems in my life because he loved to watch me suffer. But as I reached behind my back to pinch the skin of my wrist in attempt to wake myself up from this crazy dream, I was shocked to realize that this was in fact, really happening.

"Um, did I just hear you right?" I asked. "Did you, Drew Hayden, just offer to help me out?"

He didn't respond for what felt like ages but was probably only a few seconds. But when he did turn back around he was smirking that obnoxious smirk, and I knew right away that the old Drew was back again.

"Don't get the wrong idea May. Because the truth is I want you at the challenge party too. It is our band's debut after all, and hopefully it'll put into perspective how utterly hopeless it'll be for you to beat me this year. So if I have to do you a small favor in order to show you up yet again, so be it. Just make sure you don't sleep through the performance of a lifetime."

My blood boiled at his words. Again with the showing up and the proving he was better than me! I knew that attempt at civility must have been a lapse into insanity, because the real Drew Hayden was standing right before me now, and_ he_ wouldn't change in a million years! It would probably kill him to be nice to me for even a second of his life!

"Oh yeah!? Well don't get so cocky yet mister! Dawn didn't win last year's showcase on luck alone, and personally, I'm going to enjoy watching her beat you guys into the ground tomorrow night!" I yelled.

"Guess we'll have to wait and see. Now run along and get your beauty sleep. Although frankly, it would take more than a few hours sleep to fix your face."

"YOU- ARGH!" I yelled in frustration before turning on my heel and stomping out of the studio.

I made it halfway to Valor Hall, muttering and stomping the whole way mind you, before I stopped dead in my tracks. I hadn't noticed at the time because I was so angry, and it's possible that I may have heard wrong, but while replaying the conversation in my head I noticed a single, solitary discrepancy that shocked and confused me almost as much as Drew's brief moment of politeness did.

"Did he….did he just call me May?"

**A/N: This is actually very interesting. When I had originally planned out this chapter I'd meant for the sing-off to be resolved by the end, but there was just so much development and back-story I wanted to include that I ended up making it a three part-er. I always kind of felt that Drew knew what his feelings for May were in the anime, and I already have the main couple to have the whole "denial" problem with, so I figured I would have Drew aware of his feelings, yet not ready to admit them. And yeah, writing for Drew is hard, but I think I did okay for him. He might be OOC, but that's just a decision you have to make sometimes when writing. Writing for May was fun though!**

**I'm sorry you all had to wait so long, and I thank you for your patience. Sorry I won't be updating every week anymore, but I am half-way around the world writing on a borrowed laptop. Life happens. I'll try to update whenever I can, like every 2 weeks. Okay, stay tuned for next chapter! **


	13. Beautiful

**A/N: I promised you 2 chapters didn't I? So 2 chapters you shall have! Fair warning , this is a Leaf chapter. Completely from her point of view, and we get some Misty development too. I don't know what possessed me to have the challenge between Paul and Dawn turn into development for the other characters, but I like how it's turning out. You kind of get to see how Paul and Dawn's friends are dealing with the rivalry between them. Even though Paul and Dawn are the main characters of the story, I felt like the side characters were being very passive about their hatred towards each other, so I decided to use this as an opportunity for character development that otherwise would have been put off until later.**

**I also felt that everyone was conflicted about Leaf's character, so I decided to speed up her development to put you guys at ease. Leaf is one of my fav's because I'm really looking forward to telling her whole back-story, which I have thought out very thoroughly. For now though, just read the chapter and tell me what you think. Enjoy!**

Chapter 13: Beautiful

**Leaf**

"Are you serious?"

The question left my lips as the cool autumn breeze pushed against my front. The streets of Hearthome City were packed with people on a Friday afternoon, all making their way home from work to enjoy the start of the weekend. The various sounds of car horns, footsteps and people's conversations mashed together in an urban symphony of modern day noise. But I barely noticed the sights and sounds of the big city as I walked along the cracked, grungy sidewalks with one of my oldest friends.

"There's no other explanation!" He responded, reaching up to hold down his red cap as the wind pounded against us. It contrasted greatly with his denim jacket, blue shirt and grey cargo pants, but matched his red shoes perfectly.

"There are plenty of other explanations! One's that don't include vampirism!" I yelled, questioning Ash's sanity as I did so. I hugged my teal jacket closer to my body as the chill of the wind cut through my clothing. I wore blue skinny jeans and lime green low-tops on my feet.

"Come on Leaf! How else do you explain Paul's heartlessness? Obviously it's because his heart stopped beating centuries ago, because he's a _soulless vampire_!" Ash spoke the last two words in a spooky voice, or a very bad attempt at one in my opinion. Pikachu just rolled his eyes while perched on his shoulder.

"Ash he goes out in the sun every day, he's eaten human food on multiple occasions which we've both been witnesses too, his skin is as tan as yours is, and VAMPIRES DON'T EXSIST!" I explained/yelled at him to hopefully end this ridiculous conversation.

"Oh yeah. Well, that doesn't mean he can't be some other kind of paranormal being." Ash suggested.

"That's it; give me back my box set of Supernatural!" I demanded.

"WHAT!? But I'm only half-way through!" he whined.

"Then stop coming up with stupid theories about Paul being anything _but_ human! Seriously, it's a TV show Ash! You are not Dean Winchester and you are NOT surrounded by vampires, werewolves, or anything else like that!"

"I'm more of a fan of Sam actually. He's way nicer than Dean, and more compassionate-"

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!"

"You're the one who brought up the show!" Ash retorted.

"YOU'RE the one who started talking about vampires!" I shot back.

We glared at each other for all of 5 seconds before we burst out laughing. We had to stop walking in the middle of the sidewalk we were laughing so hard, causing the people who had to walk around us to glare and shoot questioning glances our way. But we couldn't have cared less.

Ash may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but he was always good for a laugh. Although he was unusually innocent for a 15 year old boy, like taking the things he saw on TV _way_ too seriously, I didn't think he really believed his band mate was a vampire, he was just being funny. It felt good to laugh, as the stress of what was going on was starting to get to me.

I had heard the news through the grape vines of a challenge party happening on Friday. When I had first found out I hadn't even needed to ask who was involved, I just knew.

It was really only a matter of time before Dawn challenged Paul. The arguments had only grown worse since those two had met, so it was a safe bet that Dawn would lose her temper and explode at some point. But truthfully, I was worried.

Dawn hadn't given us many details about what happened when she went to return Paul's book, but she seemed generally fine afterwards. No threats, no tears, no depression like before, she just seemed at peace. I was relieved to say the least, and for the next few days, they had barely fought at all. I was really starting to believe that those two might have found some common ground.

But I should have known it wouldn't last.

They were right back at each other's throats not even 2 days after she returned the book. I wasn't even there for the first initial fight that started up the rivalry again, but I'd heard about it from Misty. Those two could just not. Get. Along!

And I was scared for Dawn. She admitted to us that she thought Paul's songs were better than hers. I knew she wanted to prove herself to him and I knew she wanted his respect, but I honestly felt myself wondering whether or not she could beat them. She wasn't just going up against Paul; she was going up against his band! A band that included 3 of the best musicians in school. And yeah, Dawn was technically _the_ best musician in school, but she was still outnumbered. Could she really be better on her own then the four of them were together?

My earlier laughs died in my throat as the familiar worries entered my head. Ash noticed immediately and his smile shifted to a frown.

"What's wrong?" he asked me.

I looked at my watch instead of answering him right away and realized we were going to be late. I grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and dragged him into walking again.

"Just worried about Dawn a little." I responded.

Ash might be naïve and a bit clueless but he was also kind. Even if he couldn't offer me any advice to quiet my concerns, he would always be there to listen and lend me his support. In the five years since I'd left Kanto, that's one of the things that hadn't changed about him. I could still talk to him about anything.

"Why are you worried? Dawn loves performing; she's going to do great tonight!" Ash assured me.

"Don't you think your being a bit too supportive for someone who's supposed to be competing against her?" I asked jokingly.

Ash looked a bit downcast when he answered. "Well it's not like I chose to."

"Yeah I was meaning to ask you about that," I said. "Why are you guys competing again? I mean, she just challenged Paul right?"

"Well yeah, but then Gary basically volunteered us to perform too! He said that since we're one act now that we all had to accept the challenge together." He explained.

"Aahh I see," I said.

"But Gary is just being a show-off! He probably wants to showcase the fact that he's in a band now to get more girls to fawn over him. Except now he's dragged me and Drew into this problem between Dawn and Paul that we don't want to be any part of!"

My heart stung a bit at the middle part but I ignored it. Gary could flirt with whoever he wanted, I didn't care. I'd gotten pretty used to it in the year he'd been back in my life.

"Sorry Leaf." Ash said.

I turned towards him confused. He hadn't done anything to apologize for. It was then I realized that while I hadn't said anything about the "Gary wanting girls to fawn over him" part of the conversation, I had physically seethed when Ash said it.

"I didn't mean to mention Gary's fan girls; I know they make you uncomfortable." He continued.

"Pika…" Pikachu said, sounding worried.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't care about them at all." I said quickly.

Ash looked at me with confusion. "Oh. Then never mind. You just looked kind of angry for a second there." Ash concluded.

_Same old Ash_, I thought. Naïve as ever. The good thing about him believing everything so easily was that he dropped issues you didn't want to talk about whenever you directed the conversation elsewhere or denied anything, even if it was true. But what I said _was _true. I didn't care about Gary's fan girls. Nor would I ever in a million years.

"So what are you going to do about tonight?" I asked, changing the subject.

"What can I do? In a way, Gary's right. We are a band and we should perform as one, but this rivalry between Paul and Dawn is just so intense. I feel like I'm picking sides a bit by performing with the band."

"Ash, that's not true. Dawn would never hold that against you." I assured him.

"I know, but I still feel lousy. And honestly, Paul's attitude is really starting to piss me off. I mean, Dawn never did anything to him! He's just mean to her for no reason!"

"You know that's not entirely true." I said, trying to defend Paul. "Both of them contributed to whatever is happening between them."

"I guess so. That's why I haven't called him out on it yet. And he never acts that way towards anyone else. But I have to wonder why it's just Dawn." Ash said.

"You're a really good friend Ash." I said.

"Huh? I thought we were talking about Paul and Dawn. Did I miss something?"

I squeezed his arm as we stopped at the street corner. We waited to cross as the red hand of the crossing light continued to flash, telling us to stay put.

"No, I'm just complimenting you. The fact that you're still concerned about Dawn even though you're competing against her shows that you're a very loyal friend." I said as the light changed.

"But Dawn is going to be okay Ash. She needs to do this, and whatever is happening between her and Paul, I have a feeling that if we got involved it would just make things worse. But I think she'll be fine. After all, she's got great friends like us to worry about her and support her no matter what, right?" I said as we crossed the street.

"Yeah, your right." Ash said as we made it to the other side. "You know, you're a good friend too Leaf." Ash smiled as he spoke.

"I try." I said.

We rounded the corner and came to our destination. Situated on the corner of Gold street and Tiffany Avenue sat the quaint, yet popular Sunset Café.

It was a small establishment which took up the ground floor of a brown brick building. It had an orange awning covering the sidewalk surrounding it and an iron gate enclosing the outside patio, which was decorated with silver tables and chairs. An oval shaped sign with pink, neon cursive writing that read "Sunset Café" hung above the glass door that led inside. I had been here less than a week ago when Dawn wanted advice about what to do with Paul's lyric book. But it wasn't our regular meeting spot in the city for no reason. This was where Misty worked.

Misty was on scholarship like May, Ash and I were. Even though her sisters were a famous dance trio born and raised in Cerulean City, and her family owned the local Pokémon gym. Her sisters, who were all a lot older than her, ran the gym but also put on shows to make money. In fact, they all thought of running the gym as more of a hobby and dancing their real professions. But it did mean that her family had money.

To be honest, I was a little confused as to why Misty had a job and was on scholarship. Ash was the closest to her, and he said it was because she was just independent. I wasn't sure if that meant her sisters didn't _want_ to pay for anything for her, or if _she_ didn't want them to. But I had never asked Misty herself. Despite being my roommate, she hated talking about her family, so I never pushed her on it. And I didn't blame her; we all had our secrets.

We were picking her up from work today though. She worked different shifts every week, but whenever she had one on Friday it would always start right after school let out so she didn't have time to drop her things off at the dorm. The lockers at her work were too small to fit her whole backpack into, and she wasn't even allowed to bring her cell phone anywhere near the place. So I'd always take her stuff after class and then return it to her when she got off work. It meant I had to go downtown to give it to her, but I didn't really mind. She'd do the same for me if the roles were switched.

And then after she got off, we'd either walk or ride our bikes back to the dorms together. Today we were walking. And Ash had come along to keep me company, although I also thought he might have a death wish.

Misty hated her uniform. She was a waitress so they made her wear a dress. She kept it at the café and then brought it home every few days to wash it to make sure she wasn't seen in it any more than necessary. She refused to wear it unless she was on the clock, and as soon as she was finished her shift the uniform came off. She even hated wearing it in front of me, but mainly in front of the guys.

When she first got the job last year, Gary and the guys showed up once while she was working and she almost killed Gary when he commented on the uniform. Now they wouldn't come within 50 feet of the place unless they knew she wasn't working. Ash however had insisted on coming with me today as he was bored. I'd tried to explain to him why it wasn't a good idea, but he was convinced that as long as he didn't poke fun at her outfit he'd survive. I tried to explain that it wasn't being made fun of that made Misty angry but the act of someone she knew seeing her that made her mad, but he just didn't get it. Whatever, it was his funeral. Although she might kill me too for bringing him so willingly.

We walked into the shop and looked around for our red-headed friend. The silver tables and chairs were full of people enjoying hot drinks since it was too cold to sit outside. I spotted her first waiting on a young couple.

She really didn't look bad at all. The waitress dress was a soft orange color, due to the name of the café being sunset, but it looked good on her because of her fiery hair. The dress had white, puffed sleeves and a matching white apron around her waist. Her hair was still up in a side ponytail, as all waitresses had to wear their hair up. I felt a little envious of her long swimmers legs that were showcased brilliantly in her uniform, but I pushed the feeling away.

"Hey Mist!" I shouted getting her attention.

She turned my way and spotted me. Her smile though became awfully scary when she spotted Ash beside me. She excused herself from the couple and made a bee line for us.

"Hey Misty-"Ash greeted.

"I'll get to you in a second." She threatened through clenched teeth. Ash cringed at her tone and looked scared.

"Sorry Mist. I couldn't stop him." I said.

"Did you TRY!?" she asked angrily.

"I warned him what would happen, but he just didn't listen." I said.

"I hate you so much." She murmured.

"What did you want me to do, tie him up and leave him on some random street corner?"

"Um, I'm right here." Ash said, causing Misty to turn her death glare on him. I think he was just starting to comprehend how much trouble he was in.

"YOU are just lucky I'm not allowed to carry around my mallet anymore. If I were you'd already have a bruise on you head the size of Kanto!"

"Thank Arceus for the schools rule about concealed weapons." I whispered to myself.

"I thought I'd made it clear to you and everyone else. Do. Not. Bother. Me. While. I'm. At. WORK!" Misty hissed venomously.

"Aw come on Misty that was over a year ago. I thought you'd be used to the outfit by now."

_Poor Ash,_ I thought. _He's digging himself a deeper grave and he doesn't even know it._

Misty then reached up and fisted her hand in Ash's shirt. She pulled him down to her height and made him look her directly in the eye before she spoke her next words.

"Now you listen here," Misty whispered intimidatingly. "My personal reasons for not wanting anyone I know to see me in this outfit do not have an _expiry date_ Ash. Gary learned the hard way not to make comments about what I am forced to wear at this job. So do not _think_ that just because you're my best friend means I won't be driven to cracking open your skull in order to beat that lesson into your brain with a blunt, metal instrument!"

Ash looked terrified. And honestly, I was a little scared too. Misty was prone to violence and anger more than any of us, although Dawn had been getting more into it since meeting Paul. But Misty was definitely the most intimidating.

"And don't think your off the hook either." She said to me. "You could have at least told him to wait outside." She sounded much less scary when she talked to me, but she still sounded peeved. Her less scary tone reminded me why we had come in the first place.

"Will you at least wait to kill us until after we're outside? I brought your stuff." I said, handing her the blue back-pack.

"Too many witnesses around anyway. But don't think you can escape!" she pointed at Ash. "I know where you live." She said, taking the backpack and heading back behind the counter, through a door that lead to the backroom.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, you are."

"Think I can outrun her?"

"Probably not. She's an athlete remember?"

"Right. Well, at least I won't be alone in death."

"Maybe we can get a discount if we have a joint funeral." I suggested.

While Ash and I planned out our shared funeral we ordered some hot drinks from another waitress. I had an orange, cinnamon tea and Ash had some plain hot chocolate. Ash had never really been into coffee as he seemed to have endless energy. Any more caffeine might cause him to actually bounce off the walls. And while the café wouldn't give us any ketchup for Pikachu, we were able to get him some biscotti to munch on.

Before Misty came back we ordered her an espresso with extra froth and a pumpkin spice muffin, her favorite comfort food, in an attempt to beg for our lives.

She came back a few minutes later wearing black jeans, a blue shirt and a yellow hoodie, and walked over to where we were sitting near the window. She crossed her arms and said nothing, tapping her foot expectantly.

"We bought you food and coffee. Is that enough to spare our lives?" I asked hopefully.

She uncrossed her arms and accepted the peace offerings from us. She took a bite out of her muffin before finally smiling.

"Fine. You can live, but only because I'm hungry and the challenge party is tonight." She conceded.

"Oh right!" Ash said, standing abruptly, setting Pikachu off-balance. "We've got to get back. The guys will kill me if I'm late."

"And we still need to pick appropriate outfits." I heard Misty say. I looked at her in shock. Since when did Misty care about party outfits?

Misty saw my look and sighed. "Direct orders from the Pop Princess herself. We _both_ have to dress nicely."

"But why-?" I started to ask.

"Because it's Dawn. I don't remember her exact reasons, but she said something along the lines of needing us all to look great because it's her challenge and she wants to celebrate her victory looking fabulous or something like that. So we gotta go."

Misty, Ash and I then proceeded to walk out of the Café and back to school, a sense of dread building up in me the closer we got.

* * *

I sat in the middle of my bedroom feeling sick to my stomach. And all because of the concept of going to a party.

The walls of my room were plain white, contrasting the dark hardwood floor. The room itself though was bursting with color. The sheets on my bed were all dark gray while the duvet itself and the pillows were a light green with a grey and white flower print on them. The curtains were teal and green stripped and the walls were plastered with images. Different drawings I'd done, paintings, pictures of my friends, sheet music I liked. Dawn was just as creative as I was, even though it was a different kind of creativity. She helped me with the designing of the room and all the things I'd put up on the wall.

But back to the matter of getting ready, I was pretty well stuck. The dresser drawers were opened precariously and my closet was wide open. I may have been a duel art and music major, but when it came to picking outfits I was completely at a loss.

My back was resting up against the end of my bed, so I was left staring at the closed door to my room. Beside the door was my dresser on one side, and a full length mirror on the other. Arceus, I hated that mirror. I couldn't get rid of it because it was school property, so most of the time I left it covered by whatever I could find. But right now I needed to see the outfit I was going to wear before I decided on it so now it was just there, reflecting my image back at me. It was that mirror that left me sick to my stomach.

I really tried to like the girl I saw looking back at me. But it was so hard. That girl had gone through so much heartbreak and loneliness that I just didn't want to remember. I just wanted to forget that girl staring back at me and pretend she didn't exist. I wanted to pretend like the life I'd lived before didn't happen because it would make living in the present so much easier. But she just wouldn't go away. And the voices that followed her wouldn't go away either.

_You're not thin enough, your skin is too pale, and your face isn't flawless. Your clothes are weird, what kind of name is Leaf, why don't you go back where you came from? _

The voices taunted me as I hugged my knees to my chest. This happened every day. I always remembered the voices, the words from long ago seared onto my soul forever, reminding me of my loneliness. Even though I wasn't lonely anymore, I remembered how it felt, and it made me feel inferior.

I hated parties. I had been to a few before, being forced to go by Dawn, but I was much more comfortable in small groups of people I knew. Being surrounded by a bunch of strangers, all looking at me and judging me, made me feel like I had 5 years ago, when those voices weren't just memories but had belonged to real people.

But this wasn't about me, this was about Dawn. Dawn needed me there tonight, so I couldn't back out now. No matter how much I'd rather just sit here on my bedroom floor for the next few hours doing nothing than go to a party where everyone would be dressed up and looking at me, I had to do this for her.

I got up and walked over to my closet again. Looking at it, it looked like it belonged to two different people. One side was filled with neutrals and solid colors. Plain jeans, regular tanks and shirts, nothing ugly, just nothing special. They were boring clothes.

The other side however was exactly the opposite. Everything on the left side of the closet was unique in a different way. It was filled with things that were sparkly, shiny, patterned, colorful, or made of different materials. Everything on that side was unique and not boring at all. Why was my closet like this?

Well because I was like this. Clothing had become hard for me since I was ten years old. I liked clothes that were out-going, unique and creative, because I was like that too. I loved music, and to express myself through my guitar or violin. And I liked art too, like painting and drawing. I like creating stuff; that's who I was on the inside. But although I had clothing that expressed that, I never wore any of it. I bought it because I liked it, and because Dawn would normally talk me into it, but when I thought about wearing it I would remember the voices and get scared. I didn't want anyone to think I was weird or a freak for having different clothes than them, so instead I played it safe. I didn't hate all my other clothes, I just didn't particularly like them either. They were safe, normal, and I knew no one would mock me for wearing them, but other than that I held no feelings towards them whatsoever.

But my dilemma was the party. I couldn't wear anything plain to a party, Dawn would kill me. But despite my secret love of nice clothes, I just didn't think I could pull any of it off.

I wasn't like my friends. Dawn was a bombshell; she had the best style out of all of us. She always knew how to wear her hair and what colors went with what, not to mention she was beautiful too. She could wear anything and it would look great on her.

May had the best figure out of all of us, so she was gorgeous too. She was well endowed, and she had a tiny waist, giving her a perfect hourglass figure. It was hard for any kind of clothing to _not_ flatter her body.

Misty was by-far the thinnest out of all of us. If she was just a bit taller, she could seriously be a supermodel. Her legs were so long they went on forever, and her athletic frame was the envy of every girl on campus. Her stomach was so flat it could be used as a washboard.

And above all else, my friends were confident. All of them. They oozed confidence about how they looked and about how talented they were. They never let anyone step all over them, and if anyone tried they'd step all over _them_ instead.

But me, I didn't have any of that. If I could just have one tenth of their confidence I could wear the clothes I wanted to without caring what anyone else thought of me, but frankly, I was just too scared.

I knew I had to look presentable at the very least, so I went to the plain side of the closet looking for something specific. The white dress I'd worn the day the girls moved in. It was simple, yet elegant. It wasn't too short or too long, and I could wear a jacket over it to hide most of my upper half. After all it was cold out.

I found it and pulled out the hanger at the same moment I heard the door open.

"Oh no," I heard Misty say before I turned to look at her. "Not that one."

"What's wrong with it?" I asked.

I noticed that Misty was already dressed. She wore the high-waist white shorts she'd worn at the welcome assembly with black leggings underneath. She also wore a yellow crop top that showed off a little bit of her stomach, but not too much because of the shorts, and a shiny silver jacket. She wore black combat boots on her feet.

"It's too plain Leaf. If I called the fashion police over here, she might actually try to arrest you." Misty said. By fashion police she meant Dawn.

"But, it's comfortable. And I like that it's plain." I argued.

Misty closed the door and walked further into the room to stand in front of my closet with me.

"Come on Leaf, you're an artist for Arceus sake. You must have something a bit more exciting than that." She said, taking the dress from me and putting it back. Her eyes landed on the left side of my closet.

"Wow! Leaf you've been holding out on us!" Misty gawked, going through the hangers.

"Since when do you care about clothes?" I muttered, moving to sit on my bed.

"It's not that I don't care, it's just that I don't go crazy over it like Dawn does. But my style is different than hers, she's more girly and I'm more sporty. But gosh Leaf, even I have to admit you've got some cute things in here." Misty said, pulling out a black leather jacket with studs on the shoulders.

"Thanks, but I can't wear any of it." I said, looking down at my hands.

"Why not? You'd look great in all of this stuff! Dawn would be proud if she could see this."

"I just can't Misty! It wouldn't look right!" I raised my voice a bit in frustration.

I heard footsteps and saw combat boots on the ground. Misty had moved so she was in front of me. I couldn't see her face though because my long hair was covering my eyes.

"What do you mean?" she asked, crouching down to look under my hair at my face.

I closed my eyes, ashamed to look at her, to admit my weakness; my fear. I had known Misty for a year, and as my roommate we'd grown closer than we would have if we were just friends. Of course all four of us were close, but I felt like _I_ knew her the best. We had an easier time talking to each other since we were both from Kanto and had known Ash and Gary for such a long time. We connected on more common interests. But although I had shared bits about my time in Twinleaf Town, it was like how she was with her family. I hated talking about it. I never wanted to remember those horrible times when I'd first moved there. It changed something in me. Something that I couldn't unchange no matter how hard I tried.

"I don't want them looking at me." Was what I ended up saying. I gripped my knees, releasing some of my vexation. Misty put her hands over mine.

"That plain dress won't make you invisible." She pointed out.

"I know, but it's as close as I can get." I said. "It's like you and your uniform, you don't like being seen wearing that"

"That's not the same thing Leaf. You would look awesome in any one of those-"

"NO I WOULDN'T!" I shouted, meeting her eyes. She looked startled that I had yelled.

"I'm not like you or Dawn or May! I don't have anything going for me! You're all so beautiful and special and I'm just not, okay?! I'm not confident like you guys are, I can't pull off nice clothing like that. I just don't want anyone to look at me and laugh!"

I was angry, but not at her. I was mad at myself, jealous of them, and sad. When I had to talk about my insecurities, I just got confused. I didn't want to fight with Misty and I didn't want to spring this on her now when the party was almost starting, but she had just pushed me too far.

But she didn't look angry or sad. In fact Misty, sort of looked like she understood. She got up suddenly and walked over to the closet again. She scanned the racks for a bit while I just looked at the floor, waiting for something to happen. After a while she walked back over with something in her hands and placed it in my lap.

"Put it on." She ordered.

I looked down at the garment in my hand. It was a black cotton dress with a pink and white floral design on it. It had a V-shaped neckline, which along with skirt was trimmed with black lace. The lace also made thin shoulder straps which blended in with the trim of the neckline. It was very pretty.

_Unlike you_, the voices said.

"I can't." I said, looking up at Misty desperately.

She looked down at me with that same look of understanding. "You don't have to wear it to the party if you don't want to. But I want you to put it on, even if only for a second. I promise you can take it off after I show you something."

I looked down at the dress again. Well, if it was just for a second….

I pulled off my white tank top and jeans quickly and slipped it on. The dress fit snugly around my bust and waist, but not uncomfortably so, and then drifted away from my body at my hips. The cotton material was soft and comfortable, but it still only came down to about half my thigh. I didn't usually wear dresses that short.

"Okay, now what?" I asked.

Misty put her hands on my shoulders and guided me over to the full length mirror by the door. I flinched a bit, looking at myself in a dress so short. The voices started to cloud my head again.

"Now, I want you to really look at yourself, and tell me what you see. You're only allowed to say good things." She ordered.

_Good things?_ I thought. I could barely get through a morning without thinking negatively about how I looked, but I had never stopped to look at the good. Probably because I had never known there was any.

But I tried. Misty was giving me one of those, "do what I say or I'll punch you" looks, so I really looked at myself.

The negatives were obvious, but I tried to look past that. I asked myself whether there was any part of my physical body that I actually didn't mind. I mean, liking my body was a far off dream at this point, but maybe I could find things about myself I tolerated to start off with.

"Brown hair." I stated. It was long and thick, and a total pain to wash, but it was a nice shade of brown I guess.

"Keep going." Misty said seriously.

"Um…green eyes? They're rare apparently." I said. Misty's eyes were kind of green, but they were mixed with blue too.

"Uh-huh."

"Pale skin. But not like a vampire." _Curse you Ash for getting vampires on my mind!_

"One more." She prompted.

"A… a nice waist." I commented. I wasn't as defined as May, but the dip below my bust was definitely noticeable.

"And the dress?" Misty asked.

"Beautiful." I said immediately.

"There, that's five nice things about the way you look. Now you're a smart girl Leaf, do you think anyone would laugh at a girl who had at least five noticeably good things about her appearance?" she asked.

I thought about it, and I guess she was right. I was my own worst critic, and if I could find things about myself that looked alright, then it must look good right?

"No." I said, and smiled.

_I think I can do this,_ I said to myself. If Misty can look at me and think I look good when she looks amazing, then I must look good.

"So are you going to wear the dress?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think I will. It might be kind of cold though." I pointed out.

I went back to the closet over to the plain side. I picked out a cropped white cardigan and slipped it on over the dress. It covered my arms, but didn't cover any part of the dress's upper half.

"You know you were right before."

I turned back to Misty who was looking at herself in the full length mirror.

"When you said that it was like me and my uniform. I've always hated wearing dresses. My sisters would always compare how I looked to how they did."

I moved close behind her. She was looking into the eyes of her reflection, not noticing my presence at all.

"They were always telling me I was the scrawny runt of the family. They were all beautiful, so I would always end up feeling like I wasn't special when I compared myself to them."

My eyes widened with realization.

She knew.

I didn't even have to tell her what I'd been through for her to understand. Dawn and May, they were _there _when I went through those hard times; that was how they understood. But Misty didn't need to know the whole story to understand how I felt. She just knew because she'd been through it too. We were both the same in that aspect.

"How did you do it?" I asked her. "How were you able to stay so confident?"

She turned around and smiled at me, a faraway sadness in her eyes.

"Sometimes I didn't. But most of the time, I just stopped listening. That's how I learned the mirror trick. When you don't have anybody else to tell you you're beautiful, you've just got to learn to do it yourself. I stopped listening to them and started listening to myself instead."

Misty put her hands on my shoulders again and looked me in the eye.

"I don't ever want to hear you say that you aren't special again, or that there's anything wrong with you. You don't have to tell me why you feel the way you do, but I want you to know that whoever told you that was a liar. I know how it feels to compare yourself to others and feel like you don't measure up. And I know what it feels like to have other people tell you you're not good enough. But I'm telling YOU Leaf that you are. Promise me you won't say stuff like that anymore."

I didn't know if I could promise that. The fears and doubts were still there, despite what Misty had told me. But I wanted it to be true. I didn't want to feel this way forever. Maybe Misty could help me with this. Maybe I could learn to be confident again, if I just take that step.

"I promise." I said.

And I meant it. I wouldn't say that stuff anymore, but that didn't mean I wouldn't think it. For now I couldn't stop that, but I could try working towards the day when I could.

Misty then stepped beside me and looked at both of us in the mirror.

"You really do look beautiful Leaf." She said.

I wanted to cry at those words. I wanted to feel that way too, but even if I couldn't yet just knowing that I did made me very, very happy.

"You look beautiful too Misty." I responded.

And for a moment, we forgot about all our flaws and the horrible things people had told us a long time ago, and we just believed that we were indeed beautiful.

**A/N: SUPERNATURAL FANS! Just had to say that randomly. I kind of like how Dawn and May are closer friends and Leaf and Misty are closer friends, yet they are all still friends. And I'm not saying they aren't close with their other friends, they just have different relationships with all of them. Anyway, let me know if you still think Leaf is too perfect, and if you do, then I guarantee that I will change your mind with her back-story! MWA HA HA! Also, challenge will be covered in the next chapter. Until next time lovely readers! **


	14. The Flaw

**A/N: WHAT!? THREE CHAPTERS!? Didn't see that coming did you!? Yeah anyway, it's me! I'm back with chapter 14 as a surprise for all of you! TRIPLE the Heroes Grace for all of you who have been so patient! I spent all weekend writing this so I hope you all appreciate it! The challenge is finally on, Paul and Dawn go head to head, OH and the band finally come up with a name. Think you know what it will be? You might be surprised...**

**What are you doing!? READ THE CHAPTER ALREADY!**

Chapter 14: The Flaw

**Misty**

We took a few minutes to do our make-up before leaving. I had to have Leaf do mine because I didn't wear makeup very often, and I knew if I were to ask Dawn I'd end up looking like something out a fashion magazine. Which in turn would make me look ridiculous.

Leaf on the other hand knew what I liked. She just did a simple black liner with some nude eye shadow and foundation. I liked a more natural look, and she had a steady hand being an artist and all. She did simple pink shadow and a black liner for herself.

When she was done, Leaf slipped on her black gladiator sandals and we were all set to go. I grabbed my phone off the coffee table in the living room and saw that I had a message from Dawn.

_We're on the roof. Meet us there, the challenge starts at 8 sharp!_

I texted back quickly and checked the clock on my white smartphone. It was 7:53, so we needed to leave now.

"The others are waiting on the roof. The challenge starts in a few minutes." I told Leaf.

"Okay then let's go. I don't want to miss either performance!" Leaf said, her earlier melt-down forgotten already.

We exited our dorm room and went to the elevator. Leaf pressed the button and we waited for it to come.

I had to stop myself from staring incredulously at Leaf. How was it possible that after knowing her for a year I was still figuring stuff out about her? But I guess I had no one to blame for that but myself.

Growing up with my sisters raising me hadn't been fun. My family didn't have a very happy story. Where my father had been the Cerulean gym leader, my mother had been a famous dancer. They got married and had a family at a very young age. My mother retired from dancing to raise their family while my father ran the gym.

My sisters were a lot older than I was. My oldest sister Daisy was 12 years older than me, Violet was 10 years, and Lily was 8. I was an unplanned birth. My parents hadn't intended to have another child, but I sort of just happened. I didn't know the details because I was so young at the time, but I always got the feeling that my sisters blamed me for whatever happened next.

My parent's got a divorce; my father basically disappeared, leaving my mom to look after four girls by herself. When I was five though, my mother got an opportunity to become a choreographer and travel around the world creating dance routines for a lot of famous clients. It was her dream job, and it made a lot of money, so she took it and left too.

My oldest sister Daisy was eighteen at the time, so she became my legal guardian with my mother's consent when I was only five. Since my mom was never home, she felt it would be better to make my sister legally responsible for me since she _was_.

We still lived in the gym, apparently dad gave the deed to it to my mother when he left. In order to make enough money to handle the up-keep of the place, my sisters all became certified gym leaders to get a bit more money from the gym association. But they didn't really like it much, so instead they came up with a brilliant idea to take everything mum had taught them about dancing and put on a show. They renovated the gym and turned it into a theatre. It was still a gym, and people could still challenge them, but it was mainly used to put on shows both underwater and dance.

Growing up in their shadow had been really hard. Of course I could handle most of their insults because I had a pretty quick temper, but I always kind of felt like it was my fault our family fell apart. Things got a little better once I met Ash, but I still felt like I would never be good enough to ever satisfy them.

They pretty much forced me to be a dancer like them. They kept saying that if I ever filled out and became less scrawny when I got older they could add me to their act, although I'd rather drench myself in gasoline and light a match than join their stupid show. But convincing them to let me go to this school had been pretty easy once I told them I'd become a better dancer. Truthfully I couldn't care less if I ever danced again, even though I was pretty good at it. What I really liked were the drums. But my sisters would never allow me to go after what I really wanted.

The elevator door opened and we stepped inside. Wow, had I really thought about all of that stuff in the time it took for the elevator to come? Weird.

I looked at Leaf out of the corner of my eye. When I came to this school, I had initially been against making friends who were girls as I had already spent years living with the most annoying females on the planet. But Leaf and her friends were different. They were what sisters were supposed to be like, and they treated me like one of them almost immediately. I loved all of them but I knew my closest relationship was with Leaf. She was my roommate, and she was from Kanto too, so we just clicked.

But still, I was surprised to learn that she felt this way about herself. On the outside, she just seemed so perfect and always knew what to say. But that was how our relationship worked. Neither of us liked to talk about our past, so instead we talked about our likes, dislikes, and the kind of people we were. We connected on who were now instead of who we used to be. And I liked it that way, but a part of me knew it couldn't stay that way forever.

When she was ready to talk about it, I would be here to listen, but for now we had bigger problems on our hands.

The elevator door opened and we were blinded by light and music. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the whole dorm was up here. The rooftop patio was packed with people, dancing, sitting, talking, you name it. Music blasted from a turntable that only Arceus knows how they got up here. A DJ sat at the table spinning records. Colorful lights flashed from spotlights positioned around the floor.

I felt Leaf go rigid beside me, so I reached out and squeezed her hand for assurance. It was just a party, these people didn't know her nor would they mock her, and if they did, I would beat them senseless.

I pulled her along behind me as I searched for someone familiar. The people pushed against us as we fought our way through the crowd, eventually coming to the stage. It was there that I saw Ash.

"HEY!" I yelled over the music. I wasn't sure how he heard me, but somehow he caught my eye and waved us over. It wasn't until I got closer that I realized he wasn't alone.

He was standing by the stage with no other than Paul Shinji. Although Leaf looked relieved to see two familiar faces, I was less so.

After what had happened between Dawn and Paul I was finding it very hard to be around him and not punch him in the face. Dawn was one of the most confident people I knew, and in the span of one conversation he had turned her into a mopey, depressed zombie. If she didn't have friends like us, she might have stayed that way.

So I was still apprehensive. I didn't know him that well, and Dawn was like family. Ash and Leaf may not like picking sides, but I have no problem with it. But I also believed that people could learn and change. If he ever decided to, then I might be convinced to change my mind but until that day came, he was enemy number one when it came to Dawn.

"HEY, GLAD YOU MADE IT!" Ash shouted over the music.

"Wouldn't miss it!" I shouted a little less loudly.

"Have you guys seen Dawn or May yet!?" Leaf asked.

"THEY WERE TALKING TO THE D.J A FEW MINUTES AGO!" Ash yelled again.

"Thanks! Are you guys ready for this!?" Leaf asked, directing her question at Paul.

Paul didn't say anything; he just turned towards her and nodded. It didn't surprise me as he was the silent type.

"We're gonna go find May and Dawn! Good luck!" I shouted as I pulled Leaf off.

We pushed through the crowds dancing and made it to the turn table. A playlist was currently playing, and the DJ was helping set up sound equipment onstage, no doubt for Dawn's performance. We spotted Dawn and May close by, talking to some more people setting stuff up.

"GUYS!" I yelled, gaining there attention and hailing them over.

May spotted us and dragged Dawn away from the conversation she was having with the tech guys.

They both looked fantastic! May was wearing blue, denim leggings and a flowy, royal blue halter top. She wore black sparkly flats on her feet, and her favorite bandanna was folded to look more like a headband. Her hair was held up mainly in a bun, but she had some loose strands framing her face.

Dawn had gone all out. I had initially felt bad for May when she'd told me the story of the 4 hour outfit picking, but I had to say it paid off.

She wore a pink dress that came to just above her knee and had a sweetheart neckline. It was printed with little white polka dots, and was strapless. Over it she wore a jean jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbow and on her feet she wore white t-strap wedge heels. Her hair fell in loose waves, and she was wearing smoky pink and grey eye shadow to make her eyes look dramatic.

"You guys look great!" I commented, genuinely impressed.

"Thanks, you look awesome too Misty!" May commented.

"But not as great as LEAF!" Dawn shouted.

As quick as lightening, Dawn tackled Leaf. She was holding onto her shoulders with a death grip, inspecting her like she was a new species of life.

"Leaf! You look amazing! Where did you get this!? It fits you perfectly!? YOU LOOK SO CUTE!" Dawn was talking so fast she forgot to breathe. She finished her super-excited moment by hugging the slightly confused brunette around the neck.

"Th-Thanks…." Leaf said, a little shocked at the reaction but also touched by it.

I smiled at her. She disserved to be told she was beautiful because it was the truth. She just needed some more assurance to see that.

"Are you ready?" I asked, prying her off Leaf as I did so.

Dawn smiled confidently at me. "Born ready! Time to put Paul in his place!" she winked.

Suddenly the music was cut and the student's quieted down as a girl stepped onstage. I recognized her immediately and gaged out of habit.

"Welcome one and all! It's time for the first challenge party of the year to get underway, and why not start off the year with a bang!" The girl said.

She had reddish brown hair that was separated into pigtails in the back and framed her face in the front. She wore army green shorts and a pink tank top and her name was Melody. When we first got here freshman year she had all but thrown herself at Ash and it had made me pretty much sick to my stomach. Since then, she'd done nothing but show off and try to get attention. She was annoying, and I couldn't believe Dawn would voluntarily let her be the announcer for her challenge.

"The challenge tonight was issued by none other than the Pop Princess of Hearthome Academy herself, MISS DAWN BERLITZ!"

The crowd cheered as everyone turned to look at her. Dawn waved to them proudly, and then the audience died down again.

"And the recipients of the challenge this year are very special ones! The very first participants to the new music program, the four piece band of Drew Hayden, Gary Oak, Ash Ketchum and Paul Shinji!" she announced.

Everyone turned to look at them and cheered too. Everyone knew at least three out of four of the band members as they were all pretty talented, which in this school equaled fame. I had to admit that the guys looked good too.

Paul looked pretty much like he always did in all black. Black jeans, black t-shirt, black shoes and black canvas jacket with a silver zipper. But at least it was a look that worked for him. Gary wore a blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and ripped jeans. He wore blue high-tops that matched his shirt. Drew wore a dark green sweater over a white shirt with a collar and black jeans. He wore plain black skater shoes on his feet. Ash wore a plain white t-shirt with a red, unbuttoned over shirt on top and baggy blue jeans. He wore yellow and red converse on his feet and his signature hat on his head while Pikachu sat perched on his shoulder.

"The time has come for the challenge participants to show us their stuff! And the winner, as always, will be decided by all of you! Whoever gets the loudest applause will be the winner of the challenge. Now as rules dictate, whoever put forth the challenge will go first. So give it up everyone, for your Pop. Princess. DAWN!"

We all looked at her and she smiled confidently at us.

"Wish me luck!"

* * *

**Dawn **

The crowd parted for me as I made my way to the stage. The lights around the floor changed to a pink color by my request.

I had to walk by Paul and his band to get to the stage, and although I wasn't looking forward to competing against some of my friends, this problem had become bigger than that. This was about me and Paul.

A million feelings swirled around inside me. This was it. This was the moment where I'd finally show him my music was just as good as his. I was going to win this challenge, and finally get some respect from the cold, serious person who was still a stranger to me in many ways. He might be able to intimidate me in every other situation, but today I was performing. This was where I shone the brightest.

I walked up the steps and made my way to the microphone center-stage. I took the mike and put the stand aside, liking to move around the stage when I sang. I gave a little wave and a wink to the crowd, which they responded to by cheering. Oh yeah, I had this. No one could get the crowd on their side like I could.

I turned to the DJ and nodded, signaling him to start the track. The music started and I took a deep breath. And I just sung.

**(A/N: Call Me Maybe, by Carly Ray Jepson)**

_[Dawn]:I threw a wish in the well,  
Don't ask me, I'll never tell  
I looked to you as it fell,  
And now you're in my way_

_I'd trade my soul for a wish,  
Pennies and dimes for a kiss  
I wasn't looking for this,  
But now you're in my way_

_Your stare was holdin',  
Ripped jeans, skin was showin'  
Hot night, wind was blowin'  
Where you think you're going, baby?_

_Hey, I just met you,  
And this is crazy,  
But here's my number,  
So call me, maybe?_

_It's hard to look right,  
At you baby,  
But here's my number,  
So call me, maybe?_

_Hey, I just met you,  
And this is crazy,  
But here's my number,  
So call me, maybe?_

_And all the other boys,  
Try to chase me,  
But here's my number,  
So call me, maybe?_

_You took your time with the call,  
I took no time with the fall  
You gave me nothing at all,  
But still, you're in my way_

_I beg, and borrow and steal  
Have foresight and it's real  
I didn't know I would feel it,  
But it's in my way_

_Your stare was holdin',  
Ripped jeans, skin was showin'  
Hot night, wind was blowin'  
Where you think you're going, baby?_

_Hey, I just met you,  
And this is crazy,  
But here's my number,  
So call me, maybe?_

_It's hard to look right,  
At you baby,  
But here's my number,  
So call me, maybe?_

_Hey, I just met you,  
And this is crazy,  
But here's my number,  
So call me, maybe?_

_And all the other boys,  
Try to chase me,  
But here's my number,  
So call me, maybe?_

_Before you came into my life  
I missed you so bad  
I missed you so bad  
I missed you so, so bad_

_Before you came into my life  
I missed you so bad  
And you should know that  
I missed you so, so bad_

_It's hard to look right,  
At you baby,  
But here's my number,  
So call me, maybe?_

_Hey, I just met you,  
And this is crazy,  
But here's my number,  
So call me, maybe?_

_And all the other boys,  
Try to chase me,  
But here's my number,  
So call me, maybe?_

_Before you came into my life  
I missed you so bad  
I missed you so bad  
I missed you so, so bad_

_Before you came into my life  
I missed you so bad  
And you should know that_

_So call me, maybe?_

The crowd exploded when I was finished. I knew I'd picked the right song to sing, something upbeat and fun was perfect for a party! Man it always felt so good to be cheered. The applause was so loud I couldn't even hear Melody shouting into the mike, no doubt trying to get the crowd back to listening to her.

"OKAY!" Melody shouted as the crowd died down. "As expected from our Pop Princess, an upbeat song and a monstrous applause! It's definitely going to be hard to top that, but it's not over yet!"

I exited the stage and into the arms of my awaiting friends. May hugged me while Leaf and Misty weren't far behind. I noticed that Misty now held Pikachu in her arms. I wanted to believe that I had no need to worry, but Melody was right when she said it wasn't over yet.

"Now it's time for the challengers to perform. Drew, Gary, Ash and Paul, time to show us what you got! And best of luck to you!" she added with a wink.

All four of us scowled at Melody's disgusting flirtatiousness. I don't know why I had agreed to let her announce, she just wanted to so badly and at the time I was too busy practising to really think through the decision.

The guys took a bit more time to get ready, as they were a band and had to set up all of their stuff first. Amps were moved onto the stage and it took about three people to set up Ash's drum set. Gary and Drew carried the keyboard onstage and then a lot of electrical stuff needed to be plugged in. A second mike was brought onstage. Both were adjusted to match Paul and Gary's height. They did a sound check and then they looked just about ready.

The more they set up the more I was starting to realize how real this was. On the outside I was cool and confident, but on the inside I was shaking. I was a little nervous, as I had seen all of them perform on their own, and they were really good. I wondered vaguely how well they would perform together.

But besides my nervousness I also felt a bit excited, but I couldn't figure out why. It might have been that I was excited to win, but I didn't think that was it. When Paul plugged in his electric and struck a chord to test it, I felt like I had been zapped with electricity. Was I excited…to hear them play?

Paul nodded his head in Drew's direction. Drew positioned his hands above the keys on the keyboard. The others showed that they were ready too. Paul turned towards the mike.

"This is a song I wrote." Was all he said before he signaled for Drew to start them off.

**(A/N: Invincible by Hedley.)**

_(Gary) [Paul]: Took a long hard look, at my life._  
_Lost my way, while I was fighting the tide._  
_A big black cloud, stormy sky._  
_Followed me, oh I was living a lie._  
_So heartless, so selfish, so in darkness, when all your nights are_  
_Starless,_  
_You're running outta hope._  
_But I found the strength inside to see, found the better part of me,_  
_And I'll never let it go._

_I've come a long, long way,_  
_Made a lot of mistakes,_  
_But I'm breathin, breathin, that's right and I mean it, mean it._  
_This time I'm a little run down, I've been living out loud._  
_I could beat it, beat it, that's right, 'cause I'm feelin, feelin,_  
_Invincible._  
_Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (x3)_

_When you're gone for a day (gone for a day)_

_On your own (on your own) _  
_Tear your heart out just to find your way home._  
_I've been so high, (been so high)_

_ I've sunk so low (sunk so low)_  
_I've come so far, with nothing to show, for it._  
_Mistaken, I got so good at taking,_  
_But now I'm tired of faking._  
_This story's getting old._  
_So I found the strength inside to see, from the better part of me,_  
_And I'll never let it go._

_I've come a long, long way,_  
_Made a lot of mistakes,_  
_But I'm breathin, breathin, that's right and I mean it, mean it._  
_This time I'm a little run down, I've been living out loud._  
_I could beat it, beat it, that's right, 'cause I'm feelin, feelin,_  
_Invincible._  
_Woah-oh-oh-oh (x3)_  
_Invincible._

_I'm not the only one,_  
_To crash into the sun, and live to fight another day._  
_Like a super nova, that old life is over._  
_I'm here to stay._  
_Now I'm gonna be,_  
_Invincible._  
_Woah-oh-oh-oh (x3)_  
_Invincible._

_I've come a long, long way,_  
_Made a lot of mistakes,_  
_But I'm breathin, breathin, that's right and I mean it, mean it._  
_This time I'm a little run down, I've been living out loud._  
_I could beat it, beat it, that's right 'cause I'm feelin, feelin,_  
_Invincible._  
_Woah-oh-oh-oh (x3)_  
_Invincible._  
_Woah-oh-oh-oh (x3)_  
_Invincible._

I couldn't hear anything for a second. The same feeling I'd had when Paul had sung for me in the studio was back. The pain spread across my chest and it felt like my heart had stopped beating. It was a terrible, confusing feeling, and I didn't understand it. Then the dread came.

They cheered. It wasn't like how they cheered for me, it was somehow different. They were quiet at first, as if they were waiting, praying for the song to keep going. And then when they'd realized it was over, it was like a crescendo of applause. It built up until it hurt my ears to listen. It was loud.

Louder than mine.

Melody went up on stage. "AMAZING! And the underdogs come out on top! The winners of the first challenge party of the year is the band of DREW, GARY, ASH AND PAUL!"

The crowd cheered again, celebrating their victory right along with them. Drew and the others looked ecstatic and a little shell-shocked to have won. Paul though, looked like he always did.

His face was stoic, an emotionless mask. You couldn't tell if he was happy about winning or if he didn't care in the least. And that made my loss hurt even more.

I had lost. In a challenge party. The winner of the Showcase had her reign ended by a student run challenge that SHE commissioned. I was a lot of things, but I think the most dominant emotion I was feeling was humiliation. I couldn't _believe_ I had lost.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked over to see May. She looked just as disappointed as I felt.

"I'm sorry Dawn. You were still really good though!" she said.

"There's always the Diamond concert." Misty said.

"Are you okay?" Leaf asked concerned.

I wanted to tell them that I wasn't okay. But I knew I couldn't. If I showed weakness after losing then the whole school would know about it and I couldn't have that. My title as Pop Princess was in jeopardy now that I had lost in a public fashion. I had to act like it was no big deal. I couldn't let anyone know how much this loss hurt. Taking the loss gracefully was my only option if I wanted to keep some of the school on my side.

"I'm okay guys, no need to worry!" I told them, a fake smile plastered on my face.

They all looked surprised to say the least, and utterly confused.

"Are you sure?" May asked, still worried about me.

"I'm perfectly fine guys. One loss isn't the end of the world. I'm still ranked higher, and like you said Misty I can redeem myself at the Diamond concert in a few weeks! I'll just work harder, and then win next time!" I explained happily.

They looked unsure, but smiled at me anyways.

"Way to stay positive Dawn! I'm proud of you!" Misty praised.

"And we can help you practice for next time if you want!" May offered.

"Thanks guys." I said.

"It was a really good challenge Dawn."

I turned around and saw Drew, Ash and Gary behind me, but Paul was not with them. It was Drew that had spoken.

"Thanks. You guys were really great." I complimented them, my heart still aching.

"It was pretty close in the end." Ash commented.

"And it was great practice. Our audition will be in the bag!" Gary commented.

"Right." _My loss was just practice for them; another stab at my pride._

"Where's Paul?" Leaf asked, noticing his absence.

"Went back to the room. He's not really the partying type, and he's a bit wiped. He worked a few late nights to get that song ready to perform." Drew said.

"But the night is young ladies!" Gary announced. "And now I feel like celebrating our victory. Leaf, care to dance?" he asked, holding out his hand like a gentleman.

Leaf had not been expecting that. Her cheeks flushed to match the flowers on her dress as she stared at his outstretched hand.

"You…want to dance with me?" she asked, innocent shock shone in her eyes.

Instead of saying something inappropriate or being cocky, he just smiled at her genuinely.

"Of course."

Leaf looked shocked and flattered at his sincerity, and slowly took is hand in hers. He didn't waste any time in pulling her into the crowd of dancing students.

"That's not a bad idea! You guys want to dance too?" Ash asked the remaining three of us.

"Just try to stop me!" May squealed as she hooked her arms with Misty and Ash and pulled them with her into the crowd.

"You sure you're okay?" Drew asked me, worry shining in his green eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I assured him, though lying.

"Then, would you do me the honor?" Drew asked as he gestured to the dance floor.

I smiled. If only for a few hours, I had to pretend. I had to play the part if I was going to convince them. The humble girl who could accept her loss and still stay positive. So for now, I would dance and smile and pretend to have fun. I would show all these people that I was not a sore loser, and that would sustain my image of perfection a bit longer. But I knew if I was going to make up for this, then I would have to beat them. An in school challenge was one thing, but the Diamond concert was another. I knew now that no matter how much my loss hurt, I would have to come back from this. There wasn't any other choice. I had to win.

"It would be my pleasure."

* * *

**The next day**

"Why are we doing this again?" I asked

"It'll only take a second." Misty said.

We were about to go to the studio Saturday morning, but we had to make a quick stop. Misty had apparently dropped her phone at the party last night and Ash had picked it up. So now we had to go get it back, but the problem was that he and the others were hanging out in _Paul's_ dorm room.

I did not want to see him. Once I had calmed down last night and thought things through, I honestly still had a lot of questions.

Why? Why had I lost? What made them better than me? Was it because they were a band?

I just didn't know. And I still couldn't fathom what that pain in my chest had been that only seemed to occur whenever I heard Paul sing. For the moment, I considered it to be fear. Fear that deep down I knew he was better than me. And fear that I may never be able to beat him.

So I didn't really want to go see him. He hadn't even said anything about his win. He didn't gloat, or rub it in, or even take pity on me. But somehow him not doing anything made me even angrier than if he had!

But Misty needed her phone and we were in a rush. If I was going to improve in just a few weeks' time to keep my ranking higher than theirs, then I needed to start practicing NOW! We had gotten permission from the front desk to go to Drew's room on the 5th floor once we explained the situation, and were now walking along the hallway looking for room 515.

We finally found it and knocked on the door.

"Coming!" we heard Ash shout from behind the door.

A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a head of black hair with a Pikachu next to it. He wore beige cargo shorts and a red t-shirt with a white silhouette of a bird on it and the word 'Supernatural' written vertically on it.

"Hey guys!" he greeted.

"Morning Ash. Can we get Misty's phone?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah sure, just let me go get it!" Ash said as he went to get his backpack.

The girls and I stepped a little further into the room so we wouldn't just be standing out in the hall. Since yesterday had been the party and we were going to rehearse, we all just wore sweats. Mine were white and pink, Misty's were blue and black, May's was red and blue and Leaf's were yellow and green.

"Hey guys!" Leaf greeted to the other three guys in the room.

Drew was sitting at his keyboard, Gary was standing by the TV and Paul was sitting on the couch which was facing the opposite direction, so we could only see the back of his head and neck. They were dressed in jeans and regular t-shirts in their favorite colors. Paul's was black, from what I could see, Drew's was green and Gary's was dark blue.

"Hey." Drew greeted back.

"Why hel-lo Miss Leaf!" Gary said as he made his way over to her. "What an unexpected surprise. Can't get enough of me can you?"

I may have imagined it, but I could have sworn I saw a look of hurt pass through Leaf's eyes, but it was gone before I could even blink. She just rolled her eyes.

"Why would I come to Drew and Paul's dorm room if I was looking for you? That doesn't even make sense." She said.

"FOUND IT!" Ash announced as he held Misty's phone in the air. You could tell it was hers because it was white, blue, and had a picture of Marill on the back of it.

"Thanks Ash." Misty said as she started to walk forward to get her phone. But she didn't see the power cord running across the floor and slipped on it, losing her balance. She fell into Leaf, and it looked like the two of them were going to have an unfortunate meeting with the hardwood floor. But Ash and Gary saw what was going to happen and acted quickly.

Ash caught Misty's shoulders and pulled her back to stand on her feet while Gary caught Leaf before she fell too far. She ended up pressed against his chest.

"You know if you wanted to get closer all you had to do was ask." Gary said while smirking.

She blushed. "Leave it to you to turn an innocent accident into something sleazy." Leaf commented, distancing herself from him. Her face was severely red from embarrassment.

"Hey, you should be a bit more grateful Leaf. You could have broken something if I hadn't caught you. I just saved your LIFE!" Gary went on dramatically.

"That makes you incredibly lucky. To be saved by a hero as perfect as me." Gary concluded, slinking his arm around her shoulder.

"Please," she said, pushing his face away with her hand. "A hero has yet to exist with more flaws than you."

"Not bad."

Suddenly, we all turned to Paul. He had only spoken two words, but they were utterly confusing none the less.

"What?" Ash asked.

"The words. Heroes Flaw. It doesn't sound half-bad."

"You've lost us." Drew said.

"We're a band now right? Bands need names. I think it's a good one." He said. I could practically hear the eye-roll in his voice.

Suddenly, the guy's eyes lit up with excitement.

"He's right!" Gary said.

"We do still need a name." Drew said.

"Heroes Flaw huh? I like it!" Ash commented.

The guys all gathered around Paul on the couch, Misty's phone completely forgotten.

"ALIGHT THEN! Gentleman, I believe we have ourselves a name!" Gary announced proudly.

The guys celebrated their victory as the rest of us just stood there. The other girls might not have felt like it was a big deal, but it was very interesting information for me.

So, my new rivals had a name now? Fine. That wouldn't stop me. I may only have a few weeks left before the first concert, but I was going to practice harder than ever before. I had worked too hard for my title to let it be taken away so easily. I would become better than them, that I swore.

Heroes Flaw was going down.

**A/N: Interesting huh? Don't go spamming me in the reviews asking me why I named the story Heroes Grace when that's not the name of the band, IT WILL BE EXPLAINED! Just be patient!**

**But yeah, that's really it for now. Hopefully I'll be able to update in a few weeks when I get back from Byron Bay. AUSTRALIA! But I'll only be updating one chapter, sorry! Hope you guys can wait till then! Farewell for now lovely readers!**


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